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i. 

The  "Stem," 

Der  Stamm. 

2. 

The  "Foot  Roots," 

Die  Fuss-Wurzeln. 

3. 

The  "Side  Roots,"  .„ 

Seiten-Wurzeln. 

4. 

"Surface  Roots," 

Tag-  Oder  Thau-Wiiizein 

5. 

The  "Head," 

Der  Kopf. 

6. 

The  "Thighs," 

Die  Sclienkel. 

7. 

The  "Bearing  Wood," 

Tragbares  Holz. 

S. 

"Ground  Shoots," 

Boden-Holz. 

9. 

"Spurs," 

ZapCen. 

10. 

"Bows," 

Bogen  Schoss. 

11. 

"Buds," 

Augen, 

VINE-DRESSER'S  MANUAL, 


AN 


llluslratelj  frmtise 


<s 


VINEYARDS   AND   WINE-MAKING. 


BY    CHARI.es    RKEMEI.IN, 

OF    OHIO. 


NEW  YORK: 
0.  M.  SAXTON  &  COMPANY, 

NO.    140  FULTO.V   STREET. 

1856. 


Entered  according  lo  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1855, 

By   CHARLES   REEMELIN, 

Tn  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  Ohio, 


COISTTEISTTS. 

PiGB 

Introduction, T 

Names  of  the  various  parts  of  which  the  Vine  is  composed, 9 

Location  and  Soil,  14 

Preparation  of  the  Ground, 19 

How  to  mark  out  a  Vineyard,  and  get  it  ready  for  the  Vines,. ...  25 
The  Propagation  and  Multiplication  of  Vines,  and  how  to  Plant 

them, 29 

What  species  of  Grapevine  shall  we  cultivate  ? ^ 37 

Treatment  of  a  young  Vineyard  the  first  three  years, 41 

Vineyard  Stakes, 48 

Tiimming  young  bearing  Vines  in  the  fourth  year, 55 

How  to  bend  the  Bows,  61 

On  Trimming  generally, 64 

How  to  cultivate  the  soil  of  a  Vineyard,   71 

Vines  on  Trellises, 73 

Summer  Trimming, 77 

Gathering  the  Grapes, 82 

Manures, 86 

Diseases  to  which  Grapevines  are  subject, 88 

Wine-making, 89 

Mashing  the  Grapes, 89 

Pressing, ; 94 

Treatment  of  the  Wine,  » 98 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  object  of  these  pages  is  to  furnish  to  such  as 
have  no  opportunity  to  learn  the  Vintners'  business 
practically,  easily  comprehended  and  reliable  instruc- 
tions, so  that  even  the  most  inexperienced  may,  with 
this  book  in  his  hand,  start,  plants  perfect  and  culti- 
vate a  vineyard,  and  make  good,  wholesome  wine. 
The  writer  is  himself  a  practical  vintner,  owns  vine- 
yards, has  worked  and  does  work  in  them.  He  gives 
to  the  reader  the  knowledge  derived  from  reading, 
and  also  through  a  somewhat  extended  intercourse 
with  vintners  from  various  countries,  as  well  as  his 
own  actual  observation  in  various  parts  of  the  United 
States  and  Europe. 

His  object  is  not  to  make  money.  He  has  long  felt 
that  the  United  States  need,  as  an  important  element 
of  its  horticultural  economy,  the  domestication  of  the 
grape,  and  that,  in  the  progress  of  time,  the  use  of 
wine  as  food  must  necessarily  be  a  part  of  the  social 
enjoyments  of  our  people. 

He  is  often  asked  in  private  conversation,  especially 
while  travelling,  various  questions  about  vineyards. 

(7) 


8  INTKODUCTIOK. 

Thus  to  answer  is  very  tedious.  He  concluded,  there- 
fore, to  write  this  little  book,  which,  being  sold  cheap, 
might  be  in  the  hands  of  nearly  everybody,  and  thus, 
at  little  cost,  give  to  all  who  wish  it  the  desired  in- 
formation. The  writer  trusts  that  it  will  be  received 
as  an  humble  contribution  to  a  subject,  which  cer- 
tainly is  receiving,  as  it  deserves,  very  general 
attention. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


Wilt  Wm-^xmtx's  "^mmi 


NAMES   OF  THE  VARIOUS  PARTS  OF  WHICH  THE 
VINE   IS   COMPOSED. 

I  DEEM  a  knowledge  of  these  various  parts,  and 
their  names,  of  mucli  consequence  to  a  correct  under- 
standing of  the  whole  subject,  and  hence  will  at  once 
describe  and  name  them. 

England  has  no  vineyards,  and  therefore  the  techni- 
cal names  I  shall  give  are,  in  general,  mere  trans- 
lations of  similar  words,  which  in  German  have  an 
accepted  meaning  with  reference  to  Grapevines.  I 
give,  also,  the  German  in  every  case,  as  this  may  facili- 
tate the  intercourse  between  Americans  who  plant 
vineyards  and  the  German  vineyard  men. 

The  cut,  Fig.  1,  represents  the  various  parts  of  a  full 
grown  grape  vine,   which   are   severally   numbered 
The  reader  should  familiarize  himself  with  them  by 
frequent  reference. 

(9) 


10  THE  vine-dresser's  MANUAL. 

The  Grapevine  (Weinstock)  is  properly  divided  into 
two  classes : 

I.  That  below  the  surface  of  the  ground. 

II.  That  above  the  ground. 
In  the  ground  are  : 

The  "  jSteMj^'  (Stamm,)  marked  No.  1,  is  either  the 
result  of  the  planted  cutting  or  of  a  grapevine  root. 

ISTo.  2  is  the  "i^oo^,"  (Fuss,)  or  lowest  part  of  the 
stem,  out  of  which  grow,  in  an  obliquely  downward 
direction,  those  important  roots  called  '•''foot-roots,^'* 
which,  if  they  spread  and  grow  well,  are  the  chief 
basis  of  the  whole  vine,  and  without  which  it  can- 
not be  truly  healthy.  These  foot-roots  are  also 
marked  2. 

From  the  other  buds  upon  the  "  Stem,"  arise  the 
''^  Side  roots,^''  (Seitenwurzeln;)  they  grow  above  the 
foot,  and  draw  their  nourishment  like  the  '•''Foot  roois,''^ 
(Fusswurzeln,)  through  roots  almost  as  fine  as  hair, 
which  spring  from  the  main  roots.  They  are  marked  8. 

The  '•'•  Surface  Roots ^^^  (Tag  Wurzeln,)  which  grow 
out  of  the  head  of  the  stem,  nearly  parallel  with>the 
surface,  and  also  out  of  those  buds  which  are  about 
six  inches  below  the  surface  of  the  ground.  They  are 
marked  4. 

Above  the  ground  are  : 

Marked  5,  the  "5eac?,"  (Kopf,)  or  the  upper  part  of 
the  "Stem,"  out  of  which  grow  the  first  and  second 


NAMES   OF   THE   VARIOUS   PARTS.  11 

year  tliose  first  young  twigs,  from,  wliicli  are  Liltimately 
formed  the  vines. 

Marked  ISTo.  6  are  the  "  Thighs,'"  (Schenkel,)  of  the 
"  Vine  Stock j^^  or  if  the  reader  likes  it  better,  simply, 
the  "  Fme." 

Marked  ISTo.  7  is  the  ^^  Bearing  Wood,^''  (Tragbare 
Holz,)  which  grows  upon  and  out  of  the  "thighs," 
"  bows"  and  spurs,  and  which  is  to  form  the  bows  and 
spurs  for  the  next  season. 

Marked  No.  8  are  those  branches  which  even  after 
the  "  thighs"  are  once  formed,  are  continually  growing 
out  of  the  "  head/'  and  often  even  protrude  from  the 
main  stem  below  the  surface,  called  the  "Ground 
Shoots,"  (Boden  Holz.) 

Marked  No.  9  are  those  branches  Avhich  grow  from 
the  joints  or  buds  in  the  "  thighs,"  and  which  are 
trimmed  down  to  two  or  three  buds  in  the  fall  or 
spring  following  their  growth,  and  are  called  "  /Spwrs," 
(Zapfen.) 

Marked  No.  10  are  those  branches  immediately  above 
the  "  thighs,"  which  are  early  in  spring  trimmed  down 
to  six  or  eight,  or  even  ten  buds,  and  from  which  the 
main  product  of  grapes  is  expected.  During  that  year 
they  are  called  ^' Boiu-hranches,'^^  (Bogenschoss,)  or 
simply  ^^Bowsj^^  (Bogen,)  as  they  are  bent  artificially 
into  bows,  and  so  tied  to  the  stake  or  post  in  the 
spring, 


12  THE  vine-dresser's  MANUAL. 

Marked  No.  11  are  the  ^^  Buds,^'  or  ^' Eyes'^  at  the 
joints,  which  if  round  and  perfect,  and  hence  promising 
a  good  harvest,  are  called  ^' Fruit  Buds,^^  (Frucht 
Augen,)  and  if  pointed  and  meagre — "  Wood  Bads^^^ 
(Holz  Augen.)  Out  of  the  "buds"  grow  ''Shoots,'' 
(Ruthen,)  which,  when  green,  are  tied  up  to  the  stake, 
and  when  matured  are  called  "  Wood.'' 

From  the  "Wood"  grow  the  '^  Leaves,"  which  afford 
the  requisite  shade,  and  perform  an  all-important  part 
in  the  nourishment  of  the  vine  and  in  the  growth  and 
ripening  of  the  fruit. 

Yerj  near  the  buds  spring  forth  those  smaller 
branches,  which  I  will  call  "  twigs,"  which  in  literal 
translation  of  the  Grerman  I  might  call  "cross-teeth," 
(Aber  Zahn.) 

Immediately  opposite  to  the  "  Leaves,"  grow  out  of 
the  same  buds  the  "  Grrapes" — and  where  there  are  no 
grapes  there  will  be  found  those  little  fibrous  twigs 
called  "  Tendrils,"  which  are  a  convenient  appendage 
to  the  grapevine ;  with  them  thej  twine  themselves 
to  objects  near  them,  maintaining  thereby  their  fruit 
and  branches  above  ground,  even  in  a  wild  state — an 
indication  which  practical  vine-dressers  have  not  failed 
to  follow.  Yery  often,  too,  after  the  grape  has  par- 
tially grown,  the  fruit  gradually  disappears,  or  "  runs 
out"  into  these  little  "cord-twigs,"  or  tendrils,  and 
through  this  operation  very  often  a  crop  very  promis- 


NAMES  OF  THE   VARIOUS  PARTS.  13 

ing  ill  the  earlier  portions  of  spring  is  much  dimin- 
ished. Practical  vine-dressers  therefore  smile  at  en- 
thusiasts, Avho  count  their  grapes  before  this  danger  is 
past.  These  cord-twigs  which  thus  spring  from  buds, 
which  should  bear  grapes,  are  in  German  called 
Gabelein,  "forks."     I  name  them  "  Tendrils^ 

The  fruit  stalk  comprising  the  centre  axis  with 
its  branches^  or  the  part  of  the  cluster  which  remains 
after  removing  the  berries,  is  called  the  "  Comhy 
Grapes  which  are  ^^ close  berried''''  are  best. 

The  berries  contain,  when  ripe,  saccharine  matter, 
(never  yet  brought  to  crystallization,)  water,  much 
coloring  matter,  and  also  substances  more  or  less  pe- 
culiar to  taste  and  smell,  according  to  the  kind  of 
grape  and  the  season. 

The  saccharine  matter  is  the  great  basis  of  the  fer- 
mentation, and  therefore  of  the  quality  of  the  wine. 

The  taste  peculiar  to  each  kind  of  grape  arises  from 
the  inside  coating  of  the  skin  of  the  berry,  a  matter 
easily  tried  by  chewing  and  sucking  this  skin  after  the 
pulp  is  squeezed  out.  The  peculiar  smell  also  springs 
from  substances  immediately  connected  therewith,  and 
the  reason  why  wine  which  passes  through  its  first 
fermentation  before  the  juice  is  pressed  from  the 
crushed  grape,  possesses  the  taste  and  smell  peculiar 
to  each  grape  in  a  greater  degree,  must  be  sought  in 
the  fact,  that  through  this  process  the  saccharine  slime 


14  THE  vine-dresser's  MANUAL 

is  better  dissolved,  and  because  then  the  fermentation 
absorbs  and  acts  more  fully  upon  those  j^eculiar  sub 
stances  which  adhere  to  the  skin. 

The  ''  coloring  matter"  lies  in  the  inside  of  the  skin, 
and  is  easily  developed,  but  much  modified  through 
the  subsequent  fermentation  in  the  cellar,  and  wine 
treated  as  it  is  commonly  in  the  United  States,  may 
eventually  be  colorless,  as  the  coloring  matter  has  no 
lasting  effect,  unless  the  fermentation  takes  place 
before  pressing  out  the  juice. 

Within  the  berry  are  the  "Pw?p,"  and  the  '^  Kerneiy 
I  have  thus  named  all  I  deem  essential,  and  the 
reader  and  myself  will,  I  trust,  hereafter  better  under- 
stand each  other. 


LOCATIOlSr  AND   SOIL. 

The  best  location,  if  it  is  desired  to  produce  good 
wine,  is  the  southern  exposure  of  a  hill  or  hillock. 
There  the  vines  get  the  proper  sunshine,  and  are  also 
properly  protected  against  storms,  especially  the  north 
and  north-east  winds.  A  location  giving  an  exposure 
midway  between  east  and  south  is  also  favorable, 
because  such  an  exposure  gets  the  sunshine  from  morn- 
ing till  pretty  late  in  the  evening. 


LOCATION  AND   SOIL.  15 

A  due  eastern  exposure  is  less  favorable,  since  it 
loses  the  sun  too  early  ;  it  is  ever  exposed  to  eastern 
winds,  and  is  sensitive  to  frosts,  even  of  tlie  lighter 
sorts,  because  it  receives  the  rajs  of  the  sun  so  very 
early  and  direct,  as  to  subject  such  locations  to  injury 
from  freezing  nearly  every  year. 

Still  worse  is  a  western  exposure,  because  it  receives 
the  sun  till  very  late,  and  hence  suffers  from  the 
chilly  evening  dews,  which  in  this  country  are,  com- 
paratively speaking,  far  colder  than  in  Europe.  Such 
an  exposure  must  necessarily  suffer  from  west  winds, 
and  is  also  more  liable  to  be  injured  by  hail. 

Hills  and  hillocks  are  far  better  for  wine-culture 
than  plains,  which  latter  may  produce  greater  quanti- 
ties of  wine,  but  it  is  invariably  of  a  poorer  quality. 
Plains  or  hills  whose  soil,  either  on  the  surface  or  as  a 
substratum,  has  yellow  or  blue  clay  soil,  are  not  favor- 
able for  vineyards,  because  upon  such  soils  neither  the 
atmosphere,  nor  the  sun,  rain  or  dew,  can  operate  as 
they  should,  and  hence  there  is  danger  that  the  vine 
will  be  affected  with  the  wet-rot.  The  sun's  rays  hardly 
ever  strike  vines  upon  plains  in  the  proper  direction, 
so  as  to  afford  the  required  warmth,  and  the  wood  and 
the  grapes  are  apt  not  to  get  the  proper  ripening ;  such 
localities  are  also  far  more  subject  to  winter  and  spring 
frosts,  and  to  mildew.  And,  in  addition,  they  must 
necessarily  suffer  more  from  destructive  insects,  snails, 
1^ 


16  THE  vine-dresser's   MANUAL. 

and  animals  of  every  description,  as  it  is  well  known 
tliat  such  prevail  more  largely  upon  plains. 

There  exists,  however,  a  great  difference  between 
the  foot,  the  middle,  and  the  crest  of  hill-sides.  The 
middle  gives  the  best  wine ;  the  foot  is  more  or  less 
subject  to  frost,  and  does  not  receive  adequately  the 
sun's  rays  ;  while  the  crest  is  too  much  exposed  to 
cold  winds,  in  addition  to  its  soil  being  very  seldom 
good  enough. 

Nor  must  neighboring  objects  be  lost  sight  of  in  lo- 
cating vineyards.  Favorable  is  everything  which 
tends  to  temper  and  somewhat  increase  warmth,  and 
which  protects  against  frosts,  raw  winds,  and  other 
casualties ;  such  as  woods,  buildings,  high  walls,  and 
adjoining  hills,  provided  they  are  in  the  rear  or  north 
of  vineyards,  and  such  localities  will  always  produce 
the  earliest  ripe  fruit  and  the  best  quality  of  ^vine. 

Injurious  objects,  when  too  near  neighbors,  such  as 
lakes,  ponds,  swamps,  and  cold  wet  woods,  are  to  be 
avoided,  as.  from  all  these  cold  mists  are  apt  to  gener- 
ate. Hills,  houses,  trees,  &c.,  should  not  be  so  near  as 
to  throw  a  shade  over  the  vineyard.  Vineyards 
should  never  be  planted  along  deep  valleys,  hollows 
or.  gorges,  which  run  east  and  west,  since  such  almost 
invariably  produce,  in  winter  especially,  constant 
drafts  of  wind,  and  they  are  more  or  less  injurious. 
Grass  and  clover  patches  should  not  be  too  near,  as 


LOCATION   AND   SOIL.       '  17 

they  draw  frosts,  and  smithies  or  other  large  labora- 
tories or  manilfactories,  are  also  to  be  avoided  on  ac- 
count of  the  smoke. 

Much  depends,  also,  upon  the  quality  of  the  soil, 
which  changes  often  within  a  very  small  space  of 
ground.  A  grapevine  will  grow,  to  be  sure,  where 
other  plants  grow,  but  the  quality  of  the  wine  is 
always  modified  by  the  kind  of  soil. 

A  heavy  soil — one  composed  of  sticky  clay — will 
not  permit  sun  and  rain  to  penetrate,  and  may  there- 
fore be  termed  a  cold  soil.  In  such,  grapevines  soon 
become  weak  and  sickly ;  in  wet  seasons  their  foliage 
is  apt  to  have  a  yelloAvish  tint ;  the  roots  rot,  and  even 
where  that  should  accidentally  not  take  place,  the  qual- 
ity of  the  wine  will  never  be  very  good.  The  only  Avay 
to  render  such  a  soil  fit  for  a  vineyard,  is  by  a  copiou.s 
application  of  lime  or  marl  mixed  with  sand, — yet  it 
may  be  done,  but  not  efficiently,  by  mixing  with  it  a 
sandy  loam.  Little,  however,  as  vineyards  will  prosper 
in  such  cold  soils,  they  will  succeed  just  as  little  in  too 
light  sandy  soils,  unless  well  mixed  with  clay  loam,  or 
clayey  marl. 

The  soil  most  to  be  preferred  in  climates  such  as  the 
Northern  and  Middle  States  of  this  Union,  is  that  so 
generally  prevailing  rich  loam,  mixed  with  some  gravel 
and  marl.  This  kind  of  soil  differs  largely  in  various 
locations,  and  it  will  take  a  more  or  less  lengthened 


18 

period  of  individual  experience  to  find  the  best  loca- 
tions. We  should,  however,  always  examine  into  the 
more  general  admixtures  of  the  soil  which  we  propose 
to  select  for  our  vineyard.  There  should  always  be 
some  sand,  some  clay,  some  limestone,  and  some  gi'avel 
in  it.  Is  there  too  little  sand  or  gravelly  limestone, 
then,  the  soil  will  soon  become  too  clayey  and  cold,  or 
if  there  is  too  much  gravel  and  sand,  then  vegetation 
is  impeded.  Our  soils  almost  invariably  lack  what 
European  vineyard  men  prize  so  highly — gypsum — 
and  this  must  be  supplied  by  proper  manures.  The 
best  wines  in  Europe  grow  upon  the  hill-sides  of  lime 
or  gypsum  mountain  ridges,  whose  formation  is  some- 
what mixed  with  sandstone.  The  color  of  the  soil  is 
not  always  a  sure  indication  of  the  quality  of  the  soil, 
but  it  may  be  assumed  as  a  general  rule,  that  soils  for 
vineyards  should  neither  be  a  very  light  yellow,  nor 
a  very  brown  red.     To  recapitulate,  therefore  : 

The  altitude  of  a  vineyard  should  neither  be  too 
high  nor  too  low,  as  compared  mth  the  surrounding 
country.  The  exposure  should  be  selected  with  due 
reference  to  giving  full  chance  to  the  sun's  rays  during 
the  entire  day ;  and  the  soil  should  neither  be  too  rich 
nor  too  poor, — affording  to  the  roots  of  the  vine  and  to 
atmospheric  influences  an  easy  chance  to  penetrate. 


PREPARATION   OF   THE   GROUND.  19 

PREPARATION    OF     THE    GROUND. 

This  matter  embraces  the  foundation  of  the  whole 
subject  of  vine  culture,  and  herein  nearly  every  vine- 
yard 3^et  planted  in  America  is  defective.  Labor  is  so 
extremely  high  here,  as  to  make  it  seem  to  us  almost 
impossible  to  start  a  vineyard  as  it  should  be.  Our 
very  best  vineyards  are  spaded  up  but  two  feet,  while 
in  many  parts  of  Europe  they  spade  up  the  ground 
to  the  depth  of  three  and  four,  and  even  five  feet. 
"We  never  prepare  the  ground  itself,  during  the  preced- 
ing year,  while  in  Europe  it  is  sowed  down  in  clover, 
for  a  few  years  previous,  and  well  covered  mth  good 
coatings  of  gypsum  and  manure.  We  trust  to  the  vir- 
gin richness  of  our  soil,  and  in  our  confidence  are  apt 
to  forget  that  spading  up  the  ground  for  several  feet  is 
done  for  other  reasons  besides  mere  fertilizing ;  and 
that  among  these,  for  us  especially,  muist  be  a  sinking 
below  the  subsoil  the  present  surface  or  upper  soil, 
which  being  full  of  decomposed  vegetable  matter,  is 
the  hot-bed  of  all  manner  of  insects.  The  spadino- 
up  and  turning  of  the  surface  soil  beneath  its  present 
subsoil,  is  of  the  greatest  importance,  because  thereby 
the  "  Foot  Boots"  may  penetrate  downwardly,  and  thus 
give  to  the  whole  grapevine  not  only  its  vigor,  but 
also  its  great  safeguard  against  too  sudden  atmospheric 
changes,  or  long-continued  droughts.      And  I  may  in 


20  THE  vine-dresser's  manual. 

connection  with  this,  here  remark  upon  an  erroneous 
suggestion,  which  I  have  noticed  in  some  agricultural 
journals.  They  suggest  a  longer.*' stem."  I  do  not 
think  that  the  stem  should  be  much  longer  than  twenty 
inches,  but  think  it  of  the  first  importance  that  the 
foot  roots  should  penetrate  deeply. 

The  ground  intended  for  a  vineyard  should  be  well 
manured  the  previous  year,  either  by  a  coating  of  lime, 
where  that  kind  of  manuring  is  proper,  or  by  gypsum, 
where  it  can  be  had ;  or  by  ploughing  under  some  green 
sward,  such  as  clover ;  or  at  least  by  a  good  and  thor- 
ough coat  of  manure,  straw,  or  even  leaves. 

Of  the  ground  thus  prepared,  the  surface  should,  for 
the  depth  of  twelve  inches  at  least,  be  sunk  beneath 
twelve  inches  of  soil  immediately  underneath.  This  is 
best  done,  if  the  ground  be  loamy,  with  the  spade,  or 
if  stony  with  the  mattock.  For  this  purpose  a  trench 
is  first  dug  four  feet  wide,  and  to  the  depth  to  which 
the  vine-dresser  is  going  to  spade  up  and  trench  his  vine- 
yard. Into  this  first  trench,  say  four  feet  wide  and  two  to 
four  feet  deep,  and  as  long  as  the  vineyard  may  be,  say 
two  hundred  feet,  is  then  thrown  twelve  inches  of  the 
surface  soil  (using  the  very  best  steel  spades),  and  by 
driving  the  spade  into  the  ground  as  nearly  perpendicu- 
lar as  possible,  and  not  slanting,  as  lazy  laborers  are  apt 
ta  do  ;  for  thus  alone  can  this  top  soil  be  spaded  up  to 
the  depth  of  at  least  twelve  inches.      The  loose  soil 


PEEPARATIOX  OF  THE  GROUND.        21 

whicli  is  left  in  the  trench,  having  crumbled  from  the 
spade,  must  then  be  carefully  scraped  into  the  first 
trench,  and  then  the  twelve  inches  of  subsoil  must 
again  be  similarly  spaded  up  and  thrown  upon  the 
previously  spaded  up  surface  soil,  and  so  on,  each 
twelve  inches  to  the  depth  required.  And  the  loose  soil 
left  in  the  bottom,  must  also  again  be  carefully  shoveled 
up  and  thrown  upon  the  other  ground.  Thus  trench 
after  trench  will  be  regularly  formed,  until  the  whole 
allotted  piece  is  finished.  Let  the  reader  bear  in  mind, 
as  the  sine  qua  non  of  a  good  vineyard,  that  it  is  not  a 
mixture  of  the  surface  with  the  subsoil  that's  wanted ; 
but  that  the  subsoil  cover,  for  twelve  inches  at  least, 
and  twenty  to  thirty  if  possible,  the  original  surface 
soil,  and  the  deeper  this  is  done  (always  in  reason)  the 
better.  It  is  far  better,  view  it  in  whatever  light  we 
may,  to  have  a  small,  good  vineyard,  than  a  large, 
poor  one. 

The  ground  thus  spaded  up  should  be  permitted  to 
settle  well,  before  the  vines  are  planted.  One  or  two 
good  rains  -wall  generally  accomplish  this.  The  best 
method  is,  however,  to  trench  in  the  fall,  and  plant  in 
the  spring. 

There  are  other  methods  of  preparing  the  ground. 
One  is  to  make  large  holes,  throwing  the  surface  soil 
underneath  and  planting  the  vines  therein. 

Deep  ploughing  and   subsoiling  is  also  frequently 


22  THE  vine-dresser's  manual. 

adopted.  I  have  tried  all  these  metliods.  The  first 
vineyard  I  set  out  by  merely  digging  holes ;  another 
by  ploughing  some  sixteen  inch.es  deep,  with  a  large 
plough,  drawn  by  four  yoke  of  oxen,  and  followed  with 
a  subsoil  plough,  drawn  by  a  pair  of  horses,  and  another 
by  trenching  as  above  suggested,  thirty  inches  deep. 
As  to  results  I  can  only  say,  that  the  first  planted 
vineyard  is  now  being  dug  up,  because  it  was  always 
liable  to  every  disease  which  haj)pened  to  prevail  in  the 
season,  having  hardly  yielded  a  fair  compensation  for 
the  labor  expended ;  the  subsoiled  vineyard  does  bet- 
ter, but  I  have  no  hopes  of  its  lasting  more  than  twenty 
years  ;  while  a  well-trenched  vineyard,  to  the  depth  of 
thirty-six  inches,  with  such  virgin  soil  as  we  have  in 
America,  should,  and  doubtless  would  last — if  otherwise 
pi'operly  managed — eighty  to  one  hundred  years.  I 
shall  hereafter  trench  any  vineyards  I  may  plant,  at 
least  thirty-six  inches,  and  recommend  the  same  course 
to  all  others. 

I  am  informed  that  there  is  now  being  constructed  in 
Cincinnati,  a  large  plough  to  be  drawn  by  six  yoke  of 
oxen,  and  warranted  to  plough  the  ground  twenty-eight 
inches  deep.  I  have  not  seen  this  latest  improvement, 
and  can  only  say  that  unless  this  plough  does  leave  a 
clean  farrow,  at  least  twelve  inches  wide  of  the  prom- 
ised depth,  it  will  not  answer.  The  large  ploughs  I  have 
seen  do  not  accomplish  this.     They  break  the  ground 


PREPARATION  OF  THE  GROUND.        23 

np,  mix  it  somewhat,  bat  do  not  turn  tlie  top  soil  under. 
This,  for  reasons  already  stated,  is  not  enough. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  for  me  to  saj^,  that  the  proce- 
dure must  be  varied  with  the  ground.  Some  soils  are 
natui-ally  rich  to  the  required  depth,  though  I  should 
fear  such  soils  for  vineyards.  Others  are  very  roclry 
and  must  be  worked  with  the  mattock  and  grubbing 
hoe.  Good  sense  will  in  each  case  dictate  the  requisite 
mode,  if  we  will  but  bear  in  mind  the  great  point  in  a 
vineyard  view.  This  is  to  get  the  surface  soil  beneath 
the  subsoil,  so  as  to  afford  from  the  very  start  of  the 
vine,  to  the  ''roots"  at  the  "-fooi'  of  the  vine,  an  easy, 
healthy  and  steady  downward  growth.  They  are  the 
life  of  the  vine,  and  their  continued  health  is  most  im- 
portant. If  they  are  but  thrifty,  then  we  need  not  fear 
but  what  the  "side"  and  "suiface  roots"  ^^dll  always 
grow  and  prosper  in  due  time  and  in  proper  manner. 

In  vineyards  along  side  hills,  it  is  well  to  use  the 
stones  generally  found  therein,  for  the  purpose  of  erect- 
ing walls  to  prevent  "  washing."  These  walls  should 
have  their  foundation  deep  enough,  so  as  to  be  out  of 
the  reach  of  heavy  winter  frosts.  They  should  "be  so 
slantingly  laid  up,  as  to  bear  j)roperly  "  to  land."  Such 
walls  are  not  only  useful,  but  they  are  an  ornament  to 
the  vineyard  and  the  general  landscape.  If  pro|)erly 
laid  up,  they  last  as  long  as  the  vineyard. 

Where  stones  are  lacking,  it  may  be  necessary  to 


24:  THE  VINE-DRESSEK'S  MANUAL. 

raise  banks  bj  sodding  tbem  with  green  sward.  They 
are  not  as  good  as  stone  walls,  since  the  green  sward  is 
a]pt  to  subject  the  neighboring  vines  to  frost,  but  the 
ground  must  be  protected  from  washing  even  at  this 
risk.  I  take  it  for  granted,  however,  that  there  are  very 
few  side  hills  indeed,  where  by  trenching  deep  enough, 
there  will  not  be  the  required  quantity  of  stones. 

I  have  thus  indicated  the  general  rules  by  which 
we  must  be  guided  in  the  preparation  of  the  ground  in 
each  special  case,  and  I  must  now  only  add,  that  it  is 
a  great  but  frequent  error  to  suppose  that  throwing  old 
logs,  brushwood  or  stones,  underueatli,  promotes  the 
growth  of  vines.  They  may  not  hinder  them,  if  well 
packed  with  ground,  but  great  care  should  be  taken  not 
to  leave  vacuities,  as  they  are  sure  to  impart  to  the  ''foot 
roots"  an  unhealthy  state.  Vines  should  always  be 
planted  after  the  ground  is  well  settled,  and  not  before. 
The  ground  should  also  be  well  harrowed,  so  as  to  ren- 
der it  perfectly  even  and  in  complete  cultivating  order. 

Before  dismissing  this  chapter  I  would  add,  that 
according  to  my  experience,  there  is,  in  fact,  but^  little 
actual  difference  in  the  cost  between  a  well-trenched 
vineyard  and  one  slovenly  laid  out.  To  trench  an  acre 
three  feet  deep,  is  AYorth  in  common  soil  $100 ;  two  feet 
deep,  $75.  With  large  ploughs,  followed  by  subsoilers, 
an  acre  costs  about  $25.  To  dig  holes,  merely  costs 
about  $15.     But  mark  it,  you  save  in  a  well-trenched 


PKEPAKATION  OF  THE  GROUND.        25 

vineyard  each,  jeax,  for  three  years,  one  hoeing,  at 
least,  and  you  get  a  good  crop  in  the  fourth  year. 
Your  vines  grow  up  regular,  as  in  such  a  vineyard  but 
few  miss ;  and  lastly,  let  me  say  to  you,  that  having 
started  right,  you  are  apt  to  keep  right,  and  are  there- 
fore every  way  sure  to  have  a  good  vineyard. 


HOW  TO  MARK  OUT  A  VINEYARD,  AND  GET  IT  READY 
FOR  THE  VINES. 

The  ground  being  properly  prepared  and  settled,  as 
previously  suggested,  the  next  thing  to  be  done  is  the 
staking  out  of  the  vineyard.  To  do  this,  it  is  well  to 
prepare  as  many  little  markmg  sticks  (say  twelve  inches 
long  and  half  an  inch  square,  pointed  at  one  end)  as 
there  are  to  be  grapehills  in  the  vineyard ;  for  instance, 
an  acre  planted  four  feet  apart  each  way,  about  2,200 
hills. 

The  next  thing  to  determine  is,  how  far  apart  it  is  in- 
tended to  have  the  rows.  There  is  no  settled  rule  upon 
this  subject.  I  have  seen,  in  Europe,  thrifty  vineyards 
one  foot  apart,  and  I  have  seen  them  ten  feet  apart. 
The  four  by  four  may,  however,  be  said  to  be  the  pre- 
vailing and  most  approved  custom.  I  have  myself 
lately  adopted  five  by  five,  and  I  like  the  appearance 
of  it  very  well.     In  Italy,  I  am  told,  vines  are  planted 


26  THE  vine-dkesser's  manual. 

twenty  feet  apart,  and  tlien  they  alternate  with  fruit 
trees,  in  the  intermediate  space, — say  a  row  of  fruit 
trees,  and  ten  feet  from  it  a  row  of  vines,  and  so  on. 

I  cannot,  without  occupying  too  much  space,  enter 
into  a  discussion  of  the  relative  merits  of  wide  or  nar- 
row planting.  I  can  only  say  that,  in  my  humble 
opinion,  it  is  best  not  to  plant  narrower  than  four  by 
four,  nor  wider  than  six  by  six.  A  vineyard  spaded 
up  to  the  proper  depth  has  cost  so  much  as  to  be  in 
itself  a  veto  on  too  wide  plantiog,  and  I  may  as  well 
admit  that  I  am  no  friend  to  mammoth  vineyards.  In 
no  business  is  slovenliness  more  pernicious  than  in  that 
of  a  vintner,  and  I  cannot  get  clear  of  the  impression 
that  large  vineyards  cannot  receive  in  all  points  that 
close  attention  which  is  required  to  raise  good  wine, 
and  to  guard  the  vines  against  premature  decay.  It  is 
to  be  expected  that  various  methods  will  prevail,  ac- 
cording to  locality,  but  I  doubt  not  that  four  by  four 
^vill  prove  the  most  generally  applicable.  In  fact,  we 
we  may  say,  that  such  is  actually  the  case.  Let  each 
follow  in  this  matter  his  own  good  sense,  and  adopt, 
from  the  best  lights  aroimd  him,  the  proper  width, 
bearing  in  mind  the  humidity  or  dryness  of  his  soil, 
and  securing  the  proper  light  and  sh^xde. 

This  done,  get  good  strong  cords,  long  enough  to 
reach  as  often  as  necessary  across  the  entire  vineyard. 
Mark  off  one  cord  by  putting  in  a  slip  of  muslin  at  each 


HOW  TO  MARK  OUT  A  VINEYARD.  27 

of  the  reqiiired  distances  (say  four  or  five  feet  apart). 
This  is  called  the  marking  cord. 

These  cords  and  the  little  sticks  being  ready,  let  the 
vineyard  be  laid  out,  as  near  as  possible,  into  a  square 
piece  of  ground.  Then  starting  at  the  northwest  cor- 
ner, fastening  the  marking  cord  there,  draw  it  from 
thence  to  the  northeast  corner,  putting  the  little  sticks 
into  the  ground  at  the  places  marked  by  muslin  in  the 
marking  cord  ;  then  fastening  the  marking  cord  at  the 
northeast  corner,  draw  it  thence  to  the  southeast  corner, 
again  putting  in  the  sticks  at  the  proper  places,  and  thus 
on  from  the  southeast  corner  to  the  southwest,  and  again 
from  southwest  to  the  place  of  beginning.  This  marks 
the  outer  rows.  This  work  should  be  carefully  done,  so 
as  to  get  the  vineyard  into  regular  squares. 

Then  draw  parallel  cords  north  and  south  from 
each  of  the  little  sticks  on  the  rows,  which  stand  in 
the  row  between  the  northwest  and  northeast  corner, 
to  the  sticks  in  the  row  from  the  southwest  to  the 
southeast  corner. 

Across  these  parallel  cords,  which  are  fastened,  the 
marking  cord,  east  and  west,  as  in  the  annexed  cut, 
is  stretched  crosswise,  and  held  thereby  a  person  at  each 
end,  while  two  or  more  hands  put  in  the  marking  sticks 
at  those  places  where  the  marking  cord  crosses  each  of 
the  pai-allel  cords.    As  soon  as  the  sticks  are  put  in  at 


28  THE  VINE-DRESSER'S  MANUAL. 

these  cord  crossings,  and  one  row  is  formed,  tHs  cross 
or  rather  marking  cord  is  removed  and  again  held  over 
another  parallel  cord,  so  as  again  to  form  another  row, 
and  so  on  to  the  end.  Fig.  2  will  illustrate  this  fully. 
Almost  complete  exactness  is  thus  obtained. 


Fig.  2. 


Northwest  comer. 


Northeast  corner. 


<  l-H  ►— I  — 1  ► 


^—<  >—  >— ♦ 


Southwest  comer. 


Southeast  comer. 


Short  rows  should,  if  possible,  be  avoided,  and  where 
this  cannot  be  done,  they  should  be  so  fixed  as  not  to 
strike  the  eye  offensively.  The  dkection  of  the  rows 
should  be  such  as  to  allow  the  sun  to  have  the  greatest 
effect — at  the  same  time  so  as  to  prevent  washing  by 


rams. 


THE   PROPAGATION  OF  VINES.  29 


AND  HOW  TO  PLANT  THEM. 

"We  have  now  presented  to  tlie  reader  various  mat- 
ters, snch.  as  location  and  preparation  of  tlie  ground, 
and  we  are  now  ready  to  actually  start  tlie  vineyard. 
How  to  do  this,  whether  with  cuttings  or  slips,  or  with 
roots,  or  from  the  seed,  are  questions  which  sometimes 
perplex  speculative  minds. 

No  plant,  that  I  can  now  think  of,  is  capable  of  so 
varied  means  of  propagation  as  the  grapevine.  A 
grapevine  can  be  propagated  from  the  seed,  from  cut- 
tings, by  "layers,"  and  by  inoculation  and  grafting. 

It  is  right  and  proper  that  those  who  have  the  means, 
should  experiment  by  raising  vines  from  the  seed,  as 
thereby  we  will  get  a  greater  variety  of  grapevines, 
and  such  as  will  be  permanently  suitable  to  each  re- 
spective locality ;  but  it  is  not  advisable,  for  any  one 
desirous  to  set  out  a  vineyard,  to  attempt  to  get  his 
vines  from  the  seed,  because  it  will  take  from  five  to 
ten  years  thus  to  get  bearing  vines,  and  because  it  is 
next  to  impossible  to  get  anything  like  regular  rows  by 
such  a  method. 

A  very  easy  and  advantageous  multiplication  of 
vines  may  also  be  obtained  by  laying  down,  or  sinking, 

(29) 


30 


THE  VINE-DRESSEE'S   MAKUAL. 


from  existing  and  growing  vines,  branclies,  or  side  or 
ground  shoots,  as  shown  in  Fig.  8. 


Fig.  S. 


The  branch  marked  a  is  a  smnmer  shoot,  to  raise 
*grape  roots,  to  be  put  down  in  June  or  July.  That 
marked  bis  Si  permanent  lajer^  to  be  put  down  in  the 
fall,  mnter  or  spring. 

Persons  having  grape  arbors,  or  vineyards,  may 
thus  multiply  and  spread  them,  in  a  very  few  years, 
over  a  very  large  space  of  ground.  If  it  is  intended 
to  leave  these  layers  in  the  ground  where  they  are  sunk, 
it  is  necessary  that  they  should  be  laid  down  as  deep 
as  cuttings  are,  say  twenty  inches;  but  where  these 
"layers"  are  made  with  a  view  to  have  them  form 
roots,  with  a  view  to  be  transplanted  to  other  locali- 
ties, they  may  be  sunk  but  about  eight  inches.  Per- 
manent "layers"  are  a  convenient,  and  much  to  be 
recommended  method,   to  fill  up  any  vacancies  in  a 


THE  PKOPAGATION  OF  VINES.  31 

vineyard,  which  may  arise  either  from  the  failure  of 
the  planted  cutting,  or  from  some  old  grapevine  being 
seriously  injured  by  storms,  or  other  casualties.  Such 
"  layers  "  must,  after  the  first  year,  be  half  cut  off  from 
the  parent  vine,  and  after  the  second,  entirely,  or  else 
they  would  injure  the  old  vine.  Those  that  are  intended 
for  transplanting,  after  they  shall  have  formed  roots, 
must  be  cut  off  the  same  season  they  are  planted  in  the 
fall.  I  refer  to  the  wood  cut,  Fig.  3,  which  I  trust  will 
convey  the  proper  meaning. 

Grafting  and  inoculating  grapevines  is  done  under 
the  same  rules  as  grafting  and  inoculating  fruit  trees 
generally.  The  graft  should,  however,  always  be  in- 
serted a  few  inches  under  the  gTound  into  the  stem. 
I  doubt  whether  either  grafting  or  budding  is  to  be 
recommended,  as  a  general  rule,  to  raise  a  vineyard. 

The  safest  and  most  advantageous  propagation  and 
multiplication  of  vines,  in  planting  a  vineyard,  is 
through  cuttings.  They  are  easier  obtained,  and  are 
least  expensive.  I  am  free  to  say,  that  I  prefer  cut- 
tings to  grape  roots,  even  at  the  same  price,  and  for 
the  following  reasons  :  They  remain  in  that  spot,  where 
they  were  first  j^lanted,  and  there  at  once  permanently 
form  their  roots.  These  first  virgin  roots,  especially  at 
the  foot,  can  never  again  be  supplied  by  any  second 
growth.  And  again,  grape  roots  are  always,  when 
planted  for  sale,  set  out  in  the  very  richest  ground, 


32  THE  vine-dresser's  manual. 

sucli  as  is  loamy  and  well  cultivated;  and  it  is  easf-  to 
imagine,  tliat  a  vine,  taken  from  such,  old,  rich  soil,  and 
then  transplanted  into  tlie  raw,  newly-spaded  vineyard 
ground,  must  necessarily  receive  a  shock  to  their 
growth,  which  must  render  them  more  short-lived  than 
vines  grown  from  cuttings.     A  cutting  remains  in  the 

Fro.  4, 


Poor  cutting. 


Better  cutting. 


Best  cutting, 
with  bud  on  old  wood. 


vineyard,  and  its  virgin  roots  are  not  torn  off  or  in- 
jured. This  I  regard  of  great  importance.  Grape 
roots  may  bear  one  year  earlier  than  cuttings ;  but 
beyond  that  much-coveted,  and  at  best  doubtful  first 
year,  every  consideration  is  in  favor  of  the  cutting. 


THE  PROPAGATION  OF  VINES.  83 

Great  care,  however,  should  be  taken  in  the  selection 
of  cuttings,  and  the  same  must  be  said  of  ''  roots."  Thli 
cut  will  assist  the  reader  in  guarding  against  imposition. 
It  represents  three  different  qualities  of  cuttings. 

We  may  lay  down  the  following  general  rules : 

1st.  The  vine  from  which  you  select  your  cutting 
should  be  healthy,  and  those  not  more  than  ten  nor  less 
than  three  years  old. 

2d.  The  wood  of  the  cutting  should  be  soundly  ripe 
of  the  early  spring's  growth  of  the  previous  year,  and 
not  of  the  second  growth,  which  appears  in  or  after  the 
month  of  June.  The  part  nearest  to  the  old  wood  will 
rarely  fail  to  grow.     Cut  0  represents  such  a  cutting. 

8d.  The  more  joints  or  buds  within  a  given  length 
the  better.  They  should  be  closer  together  near  the 
lower  end  than  the  upper. 

4th.  The  more  compact  the  stemwood,  the  finer  the 
sap  vessels,  and  the  smaller  the  ^:>^i5^,  the  better.  Coarse 
reedy  cuttings,  such  as  Cut  A,  are  worth  but  little. 

5th.  Each  cutting  should  be  not  less  than  twenty  nor 
more  than  twenty-four  inches  long. 

6th.  Old  wood  of  more  than  one  year's  growth  is 
ansuitable  for  cuttings. 

Cut  with  a  sharp  knife  smoothly  and  nicely  just 
below  the  bud  at  the  foot,  being  careful  not  to  injure 
the  joint ;  but  above  the  upper  bud,  which  is  to  form 
the  "head,"  leave  about  two  inches  of  wood,  so  as  to 


34 

form  a  protection  to  tlie  cutting  when  in  tlie  ground, 
and  that  it  may  be  lield  thereby  when  planting. 

In  taking  off  the  first  cutting  from  the  old  wood,  the 
foot  should  be  the  very  first  bud  near,  or,  if  possible, 
upon  the  old  wood,  as  in  the  best  cutting,  marked 
letter  0. 

That  proper  caution  should  be  used  to  keep  the  cut- 
tings right  side  up  into  the  ground,  will,  I  am  sure,  be 
understood  by  all.  The  upper  part  of  the  cutting  may 
easily  be  ascertained  by  the  upward  pointing  of  the 
bud. 

The  planting  is  now  performed  ;  if  by  cuttings,  two 
to  each  hill,  sometimes  by  making  holes  with  a  hoe  or 
spade  as  near  as  possible  to  the  marking  sticky  which 
remains  in  its  place. 

The  cuttings  are  then  put  in  and  covered  carefully 
with  earth. 

But  there  is  another,  much  speedier  and  equally  good 
method.  Have  one  or  two  ^^  stilts'''  made,  about  four 
feet  long  and  three  inches  thick,  pointed  mth  an  iron 
socket  of  about  twenty- two  inches  length.  See  Figs. 
5  and  6. 

With  these  stilts  the  holes  are  made  close  to  the 
marking  sticks  two  feet  deep,  and  by  moving  the  stilt 
from  side  to  side  the  hole  can  be  made  sufficiently 
large. 

There  may  be  one  hole  to  each  cutting,  or  both  cut 


THE  PROPAGATION  OF  VINES. 


35 


tings  may  be  inserted  at  once  in  the  same  hole,  taking 
care  to  keep  them  separated  by  placing  the  fingers  be- 
tween them. 

These  holes  are  made  as  nearly  perpendicular  as 
may  be,  and  the  cuttings  are  inserted  deep  enough  to 
have  the  upper  bud  one  half  an  inch  below  the  surface 


Fig.  6. 


FiQ.  5. 


of  the  ground.     The  cut,  Fig.  7,  will  illustrate  the 
position. 

The  cuttings  are  then  held  with  one  hand,  while  with 
the  other  loose  earth  or  sand  is  poured  in,  around  and 


86  THE  yine-deesser's  manual. 

between  them.  Then  pour  water  into  the  hole  suffi- 
cient to  "slime"  in  the  sand  compactly  around  the 
cuttings,  at  the  same  time  avoid  pressing  with  the  feet 
near  to  the  hole,  as  this  renders  the  ground  hard. 

If  the  holes  are  dug  with  the  hoe  or  spade,  the  cut- 
tings may  be  put  in  slanting  always /rom  the  hill,  if  the 
surface  is  not  level,  and  slimed  in  as  above. 


Fig.  T. 


If  the  planting  is  made  with  grape  roots,  the  same 
care  required  by  fruit  trees  should  be  given  to  have 
all  the  bruised  roots  cut  with  a  sharp  knife,  and  the  foot 
roots  carefully  surrounded  with  fine  earth,  while  they 
are  spread  in  a  natural  position,  and  afterwards  water  is 
poured  around  them. 

No  grape  root  or  cutting  should  be  planted  after  the 
15th  of  May.     They  should  be  in  the  ground  as  much 


WHAT  SPECIES  TO   CULTIVATE.  37 

earlier  as  possible,  if  the  season  be  favorable  and  tlie 
ground  is  in  proper  order.  Vineyards  should  never 
be  set  out  and  planted  in  wet,  slushy  weather. 


WHAT  SPECIES  OF  GRAPEVIKE  SHALL  WE  CULTIVATE  ? 

Lsr  Europe  this  c[uestion  is,  and  has  ever  been  a 
much  disputed  point.  The  great  mass  of  the  vintners 
follow  the  traditions  of  their  forefathers,  and  the  vari- 
ous governments  as  well  as  the  societies  for  the  im- 
provement of  wine  have  found  it  one  of  their  most 
insurmountable  obstacles  to  overcome  these  traditional 
predilections  of  the  vintners.  In  Europe  the  govern- 
ments have  even  gone  so  far  as  to  prohibit  by  law  the 
planting  of  certain  species  of  grape  vines.  These  wine 
''  reformers"  through  government,  have,  however,  not 
always  been  right.  And  yet  it  would  be  wrong  not 
to  admit  that  they  have  done  much  good.  All  of  us 
know  how  easily  a  theorist,  who  has  made  himself  the 
"  Sir  Oracle"  of  a  neighborhood,  may  succeed  in  get- 
ting his  notions  adopted  by  other  theorists,  and  Europe 
is  not  exempt  from  similar  results.  In  1832,  when  I 
lefl  Germany,  the  "Kiessling"  was  the  fashionable  and 
much  approved  grape.  .  Four  years  ago  when  I  return- 
ed, it  was  then  the  '^  Traminer,"  and  in  1853,  I  heard 
one  of  the  very  wine  reformers  say,  "that  he  actually 


38  THE  vine-dkessee's  makcjal. 

believed,  that  a  return  to  the  '  old  sorts'  would  stop  the 
progress  of  the  grape  sickness."  Kwe  take  the  trouble 
to  inquire,  we  should  find  that  the  ''old  sorts"  are 
grapevines  adopted  after  much  experience,  and  that 
that  experience,  although  the  reasons  for  it  may  have 
been  lost,  is  often  worth  more  than  untried  experiments. 
I  am  not  opposed  to  all  experiments,  but  I  do  think 
that  persons  who  set  out  "  vineyards"  had  better  fol- 
low the  most  approved  beaten  track  of  their  time. 
The  men  to  experiment  are  nursery  men.  In  Europe, 
there  are  hundreds  of  varieties  of  grapes.  Not  only 
has  each  locality  its  own  favorite,  but  they  frequently 
again  change  mth  each  generation.  These  varieties 
were  all  originally  imported  into,  and  exchanged  be- 
tween different  portions  of  Europe.  Hungary  got  some 
of  its  vines  from  Greece  and  Asia  Minor ;  Germany 
from  Italy  and  Hungary ;  France  and  Spain  from  all 
parts  of  the  Mediterranean ;  and  then  again  have  all 
exchanged  with  each  other.  A  grape  approved  by 
one  country  would  be  rejected  in  the  other,  and  vice 
versa.  You  can  find  the  Hungarian  Tookay  in  Ger- 
many, a  generally  condemned  grape,  no  doubt  origin- 
ally similar  to  the  Malaga  grape,  and  we  may,  on  the 
other  hand,  find  the  white  and  red  Burgundy  grape 
much  outside  of  France.  Each  imported  grape  was 
again  changed  in  each  locality  by  soil,  climate  and 
exposure. 


WHAT  SPECIES  TO  CULTIVATE.  39 

In  this  country,  but  two  wine  grapes  have  yet  suc- 
ceeded in  establishing  a  permanent  reputation,  to  wit : 
— the  Isabella  and  Catawba.  ISTo  foreign  grape  has 
yet  been  adopted  by  us, — or  it  may  perhaps  be  bet- 
ter said,  none  of  them  has  yet  adopted  us.  I  have 
three  several  times  imported  grapevines  from  my  fa- 
therland,— once  also  (in  1842)  grape  seeds;  and  in 
1850,  I  brought  with  me,  at  much  personal  inconve- 
nience and  expense,  a  bundle  of  small  fruit  trees  and 
grapevines,  weighing  some  fifty  pounds.  I  carried 
them  myself  from  steamboat  to  steamboat,  from  car  to 
car ;  I  dipped  them  into  the  Neckar,  the  Ehine,  the 
Weser,  the  Delaware,  the  Cumberland,  and  the  Ohio, 
not  omitting  even  to  wet  them  with  the  water  distilled 
from  the  sea  by  the  steamers ;  but  all  in  vain,  so  far  as 
the  grapevines  were  concerned.  My  pears,  apricots, 
plums,  cherries,  raspberries,  have  all  grown  finely — 
but  the  grapevines  and  gooseberries  would  not  be  na- 
turalized. A  few  sprouted,  but  only  for  a  season.  I 
shall  not  be  discouraged,  but  will  try  it  again  as  soon 
as  they  shall  have  a  good  wine  season  in  Europe, 
in  which  their  wood  and  seed  ripen  fully. 

On  the  whole,  then,  I  would  recommend  to  all  who 
may  set  out  vineyards,  to  plant  good  sound  Catawba 
cuttings,  taking  care  to  buy  only  from  healthy  vine- 
yards. That  grape  (be  it  native  or  imported)  is  the 
best  yet  tried.     Let  all,  however,  experiment  upon  a 


40  THE  vine-dresser's  manual. 

separate  patch  of  ground,  and  on  a  small  scale,  through 
Catawba  seeds  from  especially  healthy  grapes,  anp 
through  grafts,  and  by  planting  cuttings  from  Catawba 
vineyards  whose  general  character  has  been  changed  and 
modified  ;  and  such  as  are  improved  by  a  special  good 
location,  a  special  good  soil,  a  special  good  climate,  or 
a  special  good  cultivation.  Let  some  of  us  also  keep 
importing  and  cultivating  grapevines,  either  from  our 
Western  wilds  or  Western  Europe,  or  any  other  place. 
Thus,  and  thus  only,  will  we  get  healthy  varieties. 
Experience  will,  as  in  Europe,  ultimately  settle  down 
on  a  few  favorites,  which  will  be  called  by  many 
local  names,  each  of  which  will  have  its  admirers. 
And  among  these,  the  varieties  of  the  Catawba 
which  will  hereafter  arise,  will  always  maintain  their 
ground. 

The  Isabella  grows  well  in  some  localities  in  the 
United  States,  especially  New  York ;  but  in  the  West- 
ern States,  the  Catawba  is  preferable. 

A  most  excellent  plan  in  furtherance  of  getting  va- 
rieties, and  one  at  which  a  good  deal  of  money  may 
be  made,  is  the  establishment  of  a  grapevine  nursery. 
Every  vineyard  owner  should  devote  a  small  patch  to 
it,  where  to  set  out  annually,  both  for  sale  and  a  sup- 
ply for  his  own  vineyards,  such  cuttings  as  may  ex- 
hibit improved  bearing  qualities.  Constant  experi- 
ments should  also  be  made  with  the  seeds  from  extra 


TREATMENT  OF  A  YOUNG  YINEYARD.  41 

healthy  grapes.     Through  such  means  we  should  soon 
have  decidedly  improved  varieties  of  grapes. 

If  any  one  is  desirous  of  starting  a  grape  nursery,  I 
would  suggest  to  him  the  following  as  a  certain  and 
approved  method :  Have  an  arbor  near  your  house, 
lead  a  few  branches  of  the  grapevine,  well  supplied  with 
good  healthy  grapes,  when  nearly  ripe,  into  a  room  to  be 
warmed,  and  through  this  warmth  dry  the  grapes  upon 
the  vine,  until  they  are  completely  shrivelled  up.  The 
kernels  are  taken  out  and  dried  in  the  air,  and 
then  planted  out,  five  inches  apart,  in  a  bed,  and  cov- 
ered with  about  a  half  inch  of  ground.  Around  and 
upon  the  plants  which  may  grow,  the  ground  is  grad- 
ually raised,  until  after  two  or  three  years  the  stem 
begins  to  form  itself  When  ready  for  transplanting, 
it  assumes  the  color  of  common  yellow  or  brown 
leather.  Plants  thus  obtained  are  as  good  as  cut- 
tings, and  will  be  sure  to  produce  constantly  new  va- 
rieties. 


TREATMENT  OF  A  YOUNG  VINEYARD    THE  FIRST 
THREE   YEARS. 

In  the  First  Year. 

The  new  vineyard  must,  during  the  summer,  be  hoed 
twice  at  least,  and  kept  clear  of  weeds.     Should  there 


42 

be .  severe  drought,  it  woiild  be  well  to  water  tlie 
plants.  If  heavy  rains  should  prevail,  by  which  the 
plants  should  be  covered  with  ground  too  deeply,  then 
they  should  be  eased  with  great  care,  so  as  not  to  in- 
jure, or  expose  too  suddenly  to  the  hot  rays  of  the  sun 
the  extremely  tender  sprouts,  usual  in  such  cases.  As 
soon  as  the  sprouts  have  grown  an  inch  or  two,  it  is 
well  to  stir  the  ground  immediately  around  or  near 
the  vine.  It  is  very  beneficial  to  the  young  vine,  always 
to  have  the  ground  well  loosened  and  pulverized  around 
the  head.  In  the  fall,  the  plants  which  have  sprouted, 
are  covered  in  colder  climates.  In  southern  Ohio,  this 
is  hardly  necessary. 

Such  vines,  or  cuttings,  as  fail  to  grow,  must  be  sup- 
plied in  October  following  with  grape  roots,  or  new 
cuttings,  though  grape  roots  are,  in  such  cases,  to  be 
preferred,  as  it  gives  more  uniformity  to  the  vineyard. 
It  is,  therefore,  well  to  plant  in  a  separate  gi^ape  nurs- 
ery, an  extra  number  of  cuttings ;  and  the  most  thrifty 
of  these  may  then  be  used  as  the  supplies  for  those 
vacancies. 

Ill  the  Second  Year. 

As  soon  as  the  weather  will  admit  in  the  early  spring, 
the  branches  which  may  have  grown  during  the  pre- 
ceding year,  are  trimmed  down  to  one  bud,  whether 


TREATMENT   OF  A  YOUNG  VINEYARD. 


43 


the  cuttings  have  produced  more  than  one  sprout  or 
not.  That  one  bud  should  be  upon  or  near  the  old 
wood  at  the  junction  of  the  sprout  trimmed  o£P,  and 
ultimately  becomes  the  '-''Headf  the  formation  and 
preservation  of  which  is  a  matter  of  great  moment,  and 
the  object  of  trimming  down  to  one  bud  is  to  provide 
early  for  a  proper  "  head"  for  each  grapevine. 


Pig.  8. 


Fio.  9. 


Second  Spring  before  Pruning. 


Second  Spring  after  Pruning. 


The  earth  is  also  removed  from  around  the  stem  and 
the  surface  roots  cut  off. 

Fig.  8  represents  the  vine  as  it  will  appear,  if  well 
grown,  before  the  trimming  in  the  second  year,  and 
with  the  earth  removed  for  eight  to  ten  inches  around 
the  stem,  so  as  to  remove  the  surface  roots  which  may 


44:  THE  vine-dresser's  manual. 

have  grown.  The  branches  and  roots  are  to  be  cut 
where  marked- 
Fig.  9  represents  the  vine  after  trimming. 
The  sprouts  which  grow  during  the  second  year  need 
not  be  tied  to  stakes  but  left  to  be  moved  freely  by  the 
winds,  as  this  tends  to  strengthen  the  entire  vine.  Yery 
few  of  such  sprouts  are  ever  blown  off. 

During  this  summer  the  vineyard  is  hoed  twice. 
Good  vintners  recommend  pinching  off  the  ends  of 
the  sprouts  after  they  have  grown  to  the  length  of 
twelve  or  fifteen  inches. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  this  promotes  the  growth  and 
ripening  of  the  small  wood,  and  it  is  also  likely  that 
thereby  the  more  thrifty  vines  will  bear  a  few  grapes 
the  season  following ;  but  this  practice  is  a  hurrying 
process^  which  may  be  adopted  where  the  vines  are  very 
forward,  but  had  better,  as  a  general  thing,  be  avoided. 
From  the  foot  of  each  leaf  stalk  grow,  during  the  sum- 
mer, latteral  shoots,  which  should  be  pinched  off  after 
they  form  three  leaves  just  beyond  the  second  leaf,  dur- 
ing this  and  subsequent  years,  as  directed  in  the  part 
relating  to  summer  pruning.  - 

Just  as  bad  is  the  practice  to  trim  the  vine  during 
the  second  summer,  with  a  view  to  make  one  or  two 
sprouts  grow  into  long  branches  for  bearing  wood  for 
the  year  following.  I  would  say  to  all,  don't  hurry 
your  vines,  if  you  want  them  to  last  well. 


TREATMENT  OF  A  YOUKG  VINEYARD. 


45 


In  the  Third  Year. 

The  vines  are  again  trimmed  down  to  the  lowest 
bud,  as  in  Fig.  10.  At  this  time,  it  is  well  to  apply 
special  manures,  and  to  do  everything  tending  to  the 
healthy  development  of  the  vine,  as  the  season  follow- 
ing the  first  crop  is  expected.    Some  vintners  leave 


Fia  10. 


Fio.  11. 


■  *u>».j.f.,L^ 


-^^f 


Third  Spring  after  Pruning.  Pruned  with  a  view  to  premature  bearing. 

this  season  one  or  two  ''spurs,"  as  in  Fig.  11,  and  by 
extra  manure  push  their  vineyards  into  a  premature 
crop.  Every  grape  thus  obtained,  will  eventually  have 
to  be  paid  for  very  dearly  indeed ;  because  nothing 
tends  more  to  the  premature  decay  of  vines,  than  such 
an  early  deflowering  of  it. 


46  THE  vine-dkessek's  manual. 

In  this  year,  too,  one  of  the  vines  is  removed,  if  both 
cuttings  have  grown  in  any  one  hill.  The  healthiest 
vine  is  retained,  the  other  is  removed.  This  should  be 
done  with  extreme  care  toward  the  vine  which  is  in- 
tended to  remain.  The  grape  roots  thus  taken  out, 
may  be  used  to  supply  vacancies,  or  new  vineyards,  or 
be  sold  to  others. 

The  vineyard  may  now  be  supplied  with  "stakes,"  and 
also  preparation  may  be  made  for  whatever  system  of 
trimming  may  be  adopted,  (for  which  see  the  chapter  fol- 
lowing,) and  to  the  stakes  axe  fastened  three  or  four  of 
the  sprouts,  which  grow  during  the  ensuing  summer. 
Should  more  than  three  or  four  grow,  they  must  be  re- 
moved by  pinching  them  off.  During  the  third  year, 
I  have  found  it  not  amiss,  to  pinch  off  the  ends  of 
vines  after  August,  when  they  have  grown  four  or 
more  feet  high,  so  as  to  ripen  the  wood.  This  should 
be  done  only  after  the  shoots  have  begun  to  turn  brown 
near  the  "  head." 

During  this  summer,  the  vineyard  is  also  hoed 
twice ;  and  especially  is  it  good  to  give  it  an  extra 
hoeing  in  the  fall,  so  as  to  avoid  an  early  spring  hoeing, 
which  on  account  of  frosts  had  better  be  delayed  till 
after  the  10th  or  12th  of  May,  with  young  vines  espe- 
cially. 

In  the  fourth  year  the  vineyard,  if  well  treated,  will 
be  in   good  bearing  order.      The  vines  should  be 


TREATMENT  OF  A  YOUNG  VINEYARD.  47 

trimmed  as  in  Fig.  12.  The  spurs  should  not  be 
shorter  than  six  or  eight  inches,  nor  longer  than  twelve 
inches.  Our  vintners  are  apt  to  trim  so  as  to  leave 
too  much  bearing  wood  the  first  bearing  year.  Let  all 
remember  the  rule,  which  pervades  almost  every  part 
of  vegetable,  and  even  an[imal  life,  that  the  age  to 
which  animals  or  vegetables  attain,  is  governed  by  the 
length  of  time  in  which  they  arrive  at  maturity.  The 
slower  the  early  growth,  the  longer  and  healthier  is 

Fig.  12. 


after  life.  Living  too  fast  in  early  youth,  is  sure  to 
produce  early  old  age. 

To  trim  the  vine  with  "bows"  this  season,  I  regard 
as  a  very  pernicious  policy  no  matter  how  thrifty  the 
vines  may  be. 

Nor  can  I  recommend  the  common  practice  of  plant- 
ing cabbage,  corn,  or  other  impoverishing  crops  in 


48 

young  vineyards.  During  the  first  year,  such  strangers 
may  be  admitted ;  but  forever  thereafter,  nothing  but 
grapevines  have  any  business  in  a  vineyard. 

As  a  general  rule,  I  may  add,  that  the  cleaner 
the  vines  and  ground  are  at  all  times  kept,  the 
better.  Never  go  into  a  Vineyard  in  wet  weather,  nor 
trim  the  vines  while  they  are  much  wet.  Keep  the 
ground  meUow,  and  in  the  most  superior  tillable  order. 
Keep  out  of  a  vineyard,  unless  you  have  special  busi- 
ness in  it.  The  less  one  walks  about  in  it,  the  better. 
To  walk  about  a  vineyard,  after  a  rain,  must  do  it 
serious  injury.  Keep  visitors  and  the  idly  curious  also 
out  of  your  vineyard.  No  man  or  woman  has  any 
business  in  a  vineyard,  except  the  vine-dresser,  and  he 
only  when  working  or  tending  it. 


"vineyard  STAKESv" 

The  manner  of  putting  these  in,  and  the  manner  of 
staking  out  a  vineyard^  is  a  matter  of  more  moment  than 
is  generally  supposed.  Vineyards  are  often  much  dis- 
figured by  too  heavy  and  unsightly  stakes,  resembling 
fence-rails,  which  are  also  injurious  from  the  heavy 
Bhade  they  cast.  Stakes  should  be  perfectly  straight, 
well  seasoned,  and  not  more  than  two  inches  square. 


49 

Thej  should  be  made  of  hard  wood,  such  as  oak  or 
locust.  Care  should  be  had  that  the  roots  of  the  vines 
be  not  injured  when  putting  them  in.  In  Europe, 
stakes  are  made  about  one  inch  square,  often  of  pine 
wood,  and  taken  out  in  the  fall,  and  reset  every  spring. 
This  treatment  preserves  them  much. 

The  stakes  must  be  set  in  to  suit  the  particular  trim 
of  the  grapevine,  so  as  to  afford  fair  access  to  warmth 
and  light. 

"Where  four  thighs,  or  rather  four  long  spurs,  are 
carried  to  each  vine — (a  favorite  mode  of  trimming  of 
late  in  Germany,  and  one  well  suited  to  level,  heavy 
soils) — the  thighs  should  then  be  only  twelve  to  four- 
teen inches  long,  with  spurs  on  them  for  bearing  wood, 
and  no  bows,  leaving  upon  each  spur  four  or  five  buds, 
or  twenty  altogether  on  the  vine.  The  stakes  need  not 
be  more  than  three  feet  high  above  the  ground.  They 
are  then  set  out  thus  : 

Stake. 

o 
Head. 
Stake,  o        O        o  Stake,  t^^  South. 

o 

Stake 

Where  three  thighs  are  carried — ^the  favorite  Elsa- 
3 


50 

tian  and  Swabian  methods — the  stakes  should  be  five 
and  a  half  feet  high  above  ground  and  set  out  thus  : 

o  Stake. 
Stake,    o      O  Head.     I^'*  South. 
o  Stake. 

Where  two  thighs  are  carried,  the  stakes  should  be 
six  feet  high  above  ground,  and  set  out  thus  : 

Head. 
Stake,  o       O      o  Stake,  t^*  South. 


being  careful  to  get  them  into  perfectly  straight  rows, 
and  one  foot  each  way  from  the  head.  This  method 
and  the  trellis  described  below,  are  the  two  which  I 
would  recommend  as  the  best,  and  are  those  which  I 
have  adopted.  The  trellis,  however,  is  better  adapted 
to  the  growing  of  table  grapes  than  grapes  for  wine. 

A  method  very  much  pi'acticed  in  the  vicinity  of 
Cincinnati,  is  to  have  a  single  stake  with  one  "  bow" 
and  one  "  spur ;"  the  spur  being  trimmed  down  to  two 
or  three  buds,  the  shoots  from  which  furnish  the  spur 
and  bow  for  the  next  year.     See  Fig.  13. 

The  general  principles  laid  down  for  pruning  on  two 
stakes  may  be  easily  modified  and  applied  to  this  and 
other  methods. 

Where  one  thigh  is  carried,  with  one  ''bow"  and 
two  or  three  spurs,  it  is  customary  to  have  three  stakes 


''VINEYARD   STAKES." 


51 


to  eacH  vine — one  about  six  feet  above  ground,  just  at 
the  head,  to  whicli  the  bow  is  fastened,  and  two  others 
about  four  feet  long  above  ground,  and  a  foot  each  way- 
north  and  south  from  it. 


The  prevailing  mode  in  the  Palatinate  along  eke 
Rhine,  is  beginning  to  be  largely  adopted  in  the  United 
States. 


FiQ.  14. 


52  THE  VINE-DEESSER  S  MANUAL. 

This  cut,  Fig.  14,  represents  several  modes  of  train- 
ing upon  trellises.  As  thej  are  all  reducible  to  tlie 
Bame  general  principles  of  trimming,  the  particular 
shape  is  unimportant. 

a  Eepresents  the  top  cross  piece  sixteen  feet  long  and 
five  feet  above  the  ground. 

h  Eepresents  cross  piece  of  same  length  and  two  feet 
above  ground. 

A  vineyard  thus  staked  out,  with  the  method  of 
trimming  adopted  in  these  pages,  I  regard  as  decidedly 
the  best.  It  may  be  the  most  expensive  at  first,  but 
it  must  eventually  be  adopted  generally  in  the  United 
States,  because  it  will  suit  more  localities  than  any 
other. 

The  easiest  way  to  put  vineyard  stakes  into  the 
ground  is  to  have  a  good  sound,  tough  piece  of  oak 
wood,  as  described  in  a  former  chapter  for  putting  in 
cuttings,  say  four  feet  long,  three  inches  through  at 
the  upper  end,  tapering  toward  the  lower  end,  and 
supplied  "with  a  heavy  iron  socket  about  eighteen 
inches  long.  With  this  holes  are  punched  into  the 
ground,  at  the  proper  places,  about  eighteen  inches 
deep  for  the  long,  heavy  stakes,  and  about  ten  to 
twelve  inches  for  the  shorter  and  lighter  ones,  and  into 
these  holes  the  stakes  are  inserted,  having  been  pre- 
viously sharpened.  Through  this  method  few  or  no 
Tfoots  are  injured.      Charring  the  ends  of  the  stakes  is 


bS 

an  excellent  preservative,  and  I  have  lieard  the  refuse 
oil  pnrcliased  at  gas-works  also  favorably  spoken  of. 

The  stakes  should  be  well  rammed  in,  and  fastened 
by  punching  the  earth  to  them  at  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  Every  spring  they  should  be  carefully  re- 
fastened,  after  being  straightened  up,  and  examined  to 
see  whether  the  part  in  the  ground  is  sound  yet. 
Those  of  which  it  may  be  feared  that  they  will  not  last 
through  the  season,  had  better  be  taken  out  and  reset 
by  putting  the  sound  end  into  the  ground,  or  replaced 
by  new  ones.  Nothing  is  more  annoying  and  injuii- 
ous  than  to  have  a  whole  lot  of  vines  blown  do^vn  after 
every  heavy  shower. 

The  plan  of  setting  stakes  in  a  vineyard,  sprung, 
doubtless,  from  the  observation  made,. that  a  grape- 
vine, and  especially  its  fruit,  is  very  apt  to  get  injured 
if  left  to  the  mercy  of  the  winds  and  rain,  and  dragged 
about  in  the  mud.  The  fruit  by  being  elevated  from 
the  ground  is  less  subject  to  the  depredations  of 
insects  and  rabbits,  as  well  as  less  liable  to  rot  and 
other  diseases.  I  have  already  indicated  that  one 
great  object  is  also  so  to  set  off  the  vine,  with  its  foliage, 
&c.,  as  to  admit,  according  to  the  particular  manner  of 
training,  the  proper  effects  of  sun  and  atmosphere. 

A  vineyard  badly  and  slovenly  staked  out  will  be 
an  eye-sore  to  a  good  vintner,  even  at  a  distance ; 
while,  on  the  other  hand,  one  well  and  artistically 


64  THE  vine-dresser's  manual. 

staked  out,  will  gladden  the  eye  of  every  one  that  sees 
it.  A  slovenly  vintner  is  certain  to  be  detected  in  this 
very  point,  and  I  want  no  better  evidence  of  a  good 
vintner  than  to  see  him  particularly  nice  in  staking 
out  his  vineyard. 

"What  system  of  trimming  to  adopt  for  the  vines  is 
oftener  a  matter  of  fancy  than  of  actual  propriety.  I 
have,  in  this  chapter,  treated  of  various  methods ;  in 
the  next  I  shall  particularly  describe  that  which,  in  my 
opinion,  deserves  universal  adoption.  The  reader  can, 
from  the  cuts  given  in  this  and  the  following  chapter, 
find  a  safe  guide,  whether  he  should  choose  the  method 
recommended  by  me,  or  any  other.  I  do  not  think  it 
necessary  to  describe  these  others  more  fully,  because 
I  am  satisfied  that  any  intelligent  reader  can,  if  he 
will  but  read  carefully  this  and  the  next  chapter,  and 
if  he  will  apply  the  general  rules  laid  down  practically, 
vary  the  trim  of  his  vineyard  to  suit  the  particular 
locality,  or  fancy,  as  the  case  may  be.  I  wish  to  avoid, 
also,  if  possible,  perplexing  the  reader,  and  I  therefore 
indicate  to  him  the  method  which  my  own  experience 
points  out  as  the  best.  At  the  same  time,  I  have  also 
named  other  methods,  upon  which  it  may  be  well  to 
"  experiment,''^  after  the  reader  shall  have  had  some  ex- 
perience in  vine-dressing. 


TEIMMING  YOUNG  BEARING  VINES.  55 

TRIMMING    YOUNG    BEARING  VINES    IN    THE  FOURTH 
YEAR. 

This  "brancli  of  a  Vine-dresser's  labors,  whether  for 
young  or  old  vines,  being  an  interference  with,  and  an 
artificial  regulation  of,  nature,  requires  more  of  his 
skill,  judgment,  and  neatness,  than  any  other.  Its  ob- 
ject is  two-fold: 

1st.  To  secure  each  summer  a  proper  amount  of  ma- 
ture bearing-wood  for  the  next  and  subsequent  years, 
and  by  thus  concentrating  upon  particular  parts  of  the 
vine  all  its  fructifying  powers,  preserve  it  in  a  healthy, 
vigorous  condition. 

2d.  To  improve  the  quality  of  the  fruit,  whether 
intended  for  the  table  or  for  the  making  of  wine. 

The  instruction  upon  this  subject  would  best  be 
given  with  the  grapevine  before  us.  We  will  en- 
deavor to  supply  this  by  cuts,  and  if  the  reader  will 
only,  with  this  book  in  hand,  himself  learn  practically 
how  to  trim  his  grapevine,  we  have  strong  assurance 
that,  in  a  very  few  seasons,  he  will  be  a  successful 
trimmer. 

An  opinion  is  prevalent,  which  I  must  notice  very 
briefly.  It  is  that  grapevines  should  not  be  trimmed 
at  all.  This  opinion  springs  from  that  superficial 
notion,  that  the  experience  of  European  -vine-dressers 
is  of  little  consequence  here,  and  that  the  treatment  of 


66  THE  vine-dresser's  manual. 

American  vines  on  American  soil  shoiild  be  entirely 
different,  I  can  only  say,  that  wild  grapes  may 
be  seen  in  our  woods,  and  in  Asia  even  at  this  day,  and 
by  comparing  with  them  the  cultivated  grape,  this 
error  will  readily  be  discarded.  Perseverance  through 
centuries  has  improved  the  grape  to  what  it  is.  The 
experience  of  European  vine-dressers  is  that  of  their 
predecessors,  the  Asiatics,  as  may  be  learned  even  out 
of  the  Bible,  modified,  to  be  sure,  but  modified  with 
reason  and  judgment,  as  we  should  again  modify.  The 
writer  of  this  has  seen  hundreds  of  acres  of  vineyards 
in  this  country,  and  he  would  unhesitatingly  say,  that 
the  best  vineyards, — not  for  a  season  or  two,  but  for 
ten  (and  no  doubt  fifty)  years, — are  those  which  are  in 
the  hands  of  such  vine-dressers  as  follow  carefully,  and 
systematically,  the  most  approved  European  modes  of 
trimming.  I  do  not  mean,  thereby,  such  as  follow 
blindly  and  mechanically,  but  such  as,  having  studied 
and  examined  European  practice,  have  adapted  it  to 
their  own  locality  and  circumstances,  being  able  to  un- 
derstand its  principles  and  apply  them. 

We  will  endeavor  to  make  the  matter  as  plain  as 
possible,  both  in  this  chapter  as  in  those  that  follow 
upon  this  subject.  The  reader  will  remember,  that  if 
the  grapevine  has  been  properly  taken  care  of  and 
trimmed,  it  will  in  the  spring  of  the  fourth  year  pre- 
sent the  following  appearance : 


TRIMMING  YOUNG  BEABING  VINES. 


57 


Each,  "spur"  intended  for  a  "tliigli"  slionld  be  not 
less  tiian  six  nor  more  tlian  ten  inches  long,  leaving  at 
least  two  and  not  more  than  three  joints  and  buds  upon 
it.  The  head  will  be  well  formed  and  of  good  size,  and 
care  will  have  been  taken  to  get  the  thighs  to  grow 
out  of  the  sides  of  the  head  rather  than  its  centre. 

Fig.  15. 


After  tilmming  the  foarth  year,  being  ready  for  bearing. 


From  the  buds  marked  1,  2,  8,  on  each  thigh,  will, 
during  summer,  grow  shoots.     Those  upon  1  and  2 
should  be  carefully  tied  up  to  the  stake.     The  shoots 
3* 


68 


THE  vine-dresser's  MANUAL. 


growing  out  of  3,  or  wliicli  may  grow  out  of  tlie  head, 
should,  after  two  leaves  have  formed  upon  them,  be 
pinched  off  above  and  beyond  the  two  leaves. 

Upon  all  these  shoots  at  the  joints,  little  twigs  or  lat- 
teral  branches,  marked  a  in  Fig.  16,  grow  in  the  early 
part  of  summer. 

FiQ  16. 


These  must  all  be  removed  by  hand  just  above  the 
first  small  leaf  where  it  is  marked  in  the  cut.  The 
leaves  at  the  junction  of  the  latter als  with  the  branch 
should  be  carefully  preserved,  however. 

This  tends  to  ripen  the  branch  into  good  sound 
bearing  wood,  for  if  these  laterals  were  not  removed, 
it  would  weaken  the  intended  bearing  wood  the  next 


TRIMMING  YOUNG  BEARING  VINES. 


59 


season.     The  vine  will  in  the  fall,  after  the  leaves  shall 
have  fallen  off,  if  thus  trimmed,  look  thus : 


Fig.  it. 


In  the  fall  of  tbo  fourth  year. 

Here,  then,  are  two  branches  upon  each  spur  or  thigh 
for  bearing  wood.  One  such  would  really  be  enough, 
but  two  are  trained,  first,  to  have  a  spare  one  in  case  of 
accident  or  loss,  and  for  a  spur  for  the  season  following, 
and  second,  to  leave  sufficient  wood  and  leaves  upon  the 
vine,  so  as  not  to  restrain  its  growth  too  much.  It  is, 
as  already  stated,  not  desirable  to  have  the  bearing 
wood  too  rank,  which  would  surely  be  the  case  if  the 
vine  were  trimmed  too  close  during  summer.    There 


60 


THE  vine-dresser's   MANUAL. 


are,  also,  both  upon  tlie  liead  and  the  thighs,  small 
shoots  with  one  bud  each,  which  are  left  there  to  the 
length  above  pointed  out,  so  as  to  keep  the  joint  alive 
for  future  use,  and  to  prevent  its  closing  by  becoming 
gnarled  over. 

The  next  point  is  how  to  trim  such  a  vine  during 
the  winter  or  spring  following.     The  rule  is  to  cut  the 

Fio.  18. 


In  the  Spring  of  the  fifth  year  after  trimming. 


thriftiest,  and  if  possible  the  upper  branch  «,  down  to 
from  five  to  eight  buds  or  joints  for  the  bows,  and  if  the 
lower  branch  remain,  to  trim  it  down,  leaving  one  bud 
or  joint  for  spurs,  and  to  cut  all  the  remaining  branches 


HOW  TO   BEND  THE   BOWS.  61 

away,  close  to  the  joint  of  tlie  thigli,  not  injuring,  how- 
ever, the  bud,  which  may  be  U23on  the  thigh  itself  or 
upon  the  head.  The  trimmed  vine  Avill  resemble 
Fig.  18. 

The  vine  may  now  be  said  to  have  reached  the  dig- 
nity of  an  adult,  being  ready  for  the  duties  of  its  use- 
ful life. 

Its  pruning  and  treatment  dui'ing  the  following  sum- 
mer and  winter,  will  be  described  in  another  chapter. 


HOW  TO  BEND  THE  BOWS. 

Before  entering  more  fully  into  detail  about  trim- 
ming, it  may  be  well  to  describe  the  manner  of  making 
bows. 

While  the  hoeing  and  ploughing  may  be  entrusted 
to  any  laborer  having  a  general  idea  of  work,  so  he  be 
one  not  apt  to  shirk  work,  or  slur  it  over,  it  is  differ- 
ent with  bow-making.  This  requires  much  practice 
and  skill,  or  else  much  damage  will  be  done,  by  break- 
ing the  branches. 

The  bows  should  be  formed  before  the  buds  swell,  or 
else  many  of  them  will  be  stripped  off  by  even  a 
careful  workman — ^the  great  point  being  to  have  them 
as  round  as  possible,  and  all  breaks  and  sharp  bends 
should  be  carefully  avoided.    Morning  is  the  best  time, 


62 


THE  vine-dresser's  MANUAL. 


because  the  vines  tlien  'bend  easy.  In  the  afternoon 
they  are  dryer,  and  hence  more  apt  to  break.  Taking 
the  end  of  the  vine  in  one  hand  and  the  part  immedi- 
ately following  the  "thigh,"  in  the  other,  and  while 
passing  the  vine  round  with  the  one  hand,  pressing  it 


Fig.  19. 


Tying  the  Vines  to  the  Stakes. 


into  form  by  following  it  out  from  joint  to  joint  with 
the  thumb  of  the  other  hand,  and  then  tying  the  end 
with  a  willow,  is  the  usual  mode. 

The  object  of  bending  the  vine  into  a  bow,  is  to 
equalize  the  sap  to  all  the  buds,  as  otherwise  the  sap 


HOW  TO  BEND  THE   BOWS.  63 

would  flow  too  much  to  the  top.  Half  bows,  in  half 
circles,  are  also  frequently  adopted,  and  answer  a  good 
purpose. 

In  connection  herewith,  I  would  recommend  to  every 
person  owning  land,  especially  where  it  is  intended  to 
have  a  vineyard,  to  plant  out  a  willow  patch.  They 
need  little  or  no  cultivation.  Simply  pushing  twigs 
about  two  feet  long,  fifteen  inches  into  the  ground,  and 
with  only  two  or  three  inches  sticking  out  of  the 
ground,  similar  to  grapevines,  about  five  feet  apart, 
(the  wetter  the  ground  the  better,)  is  all  that  is  re- 
quired for  starting  them.  After  they  have  grown, 
they  should  be  trimmed  back  pretty  close  to  the  stump, 
annually ;  and  fifty  willow  bushes  will  yield  enough 
for  all  the  purposes  of  an  acre  of  yineyard,  and  leave 
some  for  basket-making  and  other  purposes  about  a 
farm. 

The  yellow  basket  Avillow  is  the  best,  though  it  is 
well  to  have  a  few  bushes  of  the  long  black  willow,  as 
they  are  the  best  for  sale.  Slips  may  now  be  had  for 
little  or  nothing,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Cincinnati ; 
and  let  me  add,  that  willow-planting  pays  well,  as 
basket-makers  are  getting  numerous,  and  pay  a  good 
price. 

As  soon  as  the  stakes  are  driven  in,  the  bows  must 
be  tied  to  them ;  but  not  helter  skelter  as  some  do.  The 
more  careful  the  bows  and  branches  are  fastened,  the 
8* 


64  THE  vine-deesser's  manual. 

easier  is  the  subsequent  labor  of  summer  trimming, 
wMch  will  be  more  fully  explained  in  another  chapter. 
It  generally  happens,  that  the  vintners  are  rather  late 
in  getting  the  vine  to  the  stake,  and  in  performing 
this,  the  last  labor  of  spring.  This  done,  the  vintner 
feels  much  lighter,  as  the  buds  are  by  that  time  more 
or  less  forward.  The  person  entrusted  with  this  labor 
should  therefore  be  more  than  usually  careful,  or  else 
he  will  break  off  the  main  buds  and  do  irreparable  injury. 
Grood,  strong  willow  twigs  should  be  used  for  this 
work.  But  mark  this : — do  not  tie  the  vine  so  tight 
as  to  stop  the  flow  of  the  sap  and  to  check  the  after- 
growth of  the  thigh  and  bearing  branch.  I  have 
known  vines  to  be  sadly  girdled  by  too  tight  tying. 
Do  not  tie  the  end  of  the  bow  too  tight  to  the  thigh,  as 
othermse  the  sap  may  be  completely  stopped  and  the 
bow  deprived  of  proper  nourishment.  I  need  not  add, 
that  too  loose  tying  is  also  to  be  avoided. 


ON   TRIMMING   GENERALLY. 


This  important  labor,  whether  for  young  or  old  vines, 
should  be  done  early — if  possible  before  the  first  of 
March — at  any  rate  before  the  sap  begins  to  flow ;  be- 
cause through  late  trimmings  much  sap  is  lost,  and  in 


ON  TRmMING   GEN-ERALLY.  65 

consequence  thereof  tlie  vine  is  apt  to  become  sicMj, 
and  to  decay  even.  It  wonld  be  well  if  our  vintners 
would  use  all  the  pleasant  days  through  the  mnter 
for  this  purpose ;  but  trimming  too  early  is  not  to  be 
recommended.  We  have,  in  the  United  States,  very 
warm  days  during  autumn,  in  which  the  sap  is  apt  to 
rise  in  the  vines,  enough  to  swell  some  of  the  best  buds. 
Such  buds,  if  the  vines  were  trimmed  in  the  fall,  would 
be  sure  to  be  frosted  during  winter.  The  outermost 
buds  are  also  liable  to  dry  out ;  and  hence,  I  would 
designate  February  as  the  best  time  for  trimming 
grapevines. 

Before  trimming,  it  is  proper  to  remove  the  earth 
from  around  the  head,  so  as  to  expose  for  three  or  four 
inches  the  "stem."  This  is  necessary,  so  that  the 
*'  trimmer "  may,  by  examining  the  thickness  of  the 
"  stem,"  have  a  safe  guide  as  to  the  quantity  of  bearing- 
wood  to  be  left  to  the  vine.  This  the  German  vintners 
call  "loading  the  vine  heavy  or  light,"  ^^vieloder  wenig 
aufladen.^^  The  "  surface  roots  "  growing  annually  out  of 
the  head,  are  now  cut  away,  so  as  to  leave  the  head 
nice  and  clean  of  weeds,  sprouts  and  roots.  But  I 
must  here  remark,  that  I  doubt  the  propriety  of 
going  down  to  the  third  joint  on  the  "stem,"  below  the 
"head,"  and  there  cutting  off  the  "roots."  Many 
vintners  do  this,  for  the  purpose  of  furthering  the 
growth  of  the  "  foot-roots."     I  incline  to  the  opinion 


66  THE  vine-dressek's  manual. 

that  tlie  practice  was  adopted,  because  it  accidentally 
proved  successful  from  some  local  cause ;  and  I  can 
well  imagine  peculiar  circumstances  under  wliich  the 
practice  may  be  right ;  but,  as  a  general  rule,  I  would 
warn  against  it.  I  have  taken  up  many  grapevines, 
from  five  to  ten  years  old,  and  I  can  say,  from  practical 
experience,  that  those  vines  were  thriftiest  upon  whose 
"stem"  not  only  the  "foot-roots,"  but  also  the  "side- 
roots,"  were  in  good  condition  ;  and  this  is  almost  cer- 
tain to  be  the  case  if  the  ground  has  been  spaded  up 
and  turned  over  deep  enough. 

In  "  trimming "  grapevines,  due  regard  must  be 
had  to  the  species  of  the  grapevine — the  soil — the 
exposure — ^the  age — the  strength — the  fertility  of  the 
soil — and  last,  though  not  least,  the  possible  injuries 
likely  to  happen  to  a  vine,  from  storms  or  accidental 
mistakes  of  the  vintner  himself  In  this  labor  Frank- 
lin's motto  should  be  ever  present:  "  What  is  fit  to  be 
done  at  all,  is  fit  to  be  well  done."  Great  care  and  nice 
judgment  are  requisite,  and  no  bungler  has  any  business 
in  a  vineyard. 

The  object  of  trimming  is  to  remove  all  superfluous 
wood,  and  thereby  strengthen  the  vine,  so  as  to  render 
it  long-lived,  and  capable  of  bearing  and  ripening  the 
proper  quantity  of  grapes. 

"Vines  which  have  a  tendency  to  generate  much  wood, 
as  all  American  vines  have,  should  be  "  loaded"  heavy; 


ON  TRIMMING   GENERALLY. 


67 


that  is,  more  bearing  wood  should  be  left.  The  better, 
or  rathe]  heavier  the  soil,  the  greater  the  load  the  vines 
will  bear.  In  light,  warm  soils,  vines  should  be  load- 
ed very  lightly.      Young  vines,  up  to  the  sixth  year, 


Fig.  20. 


should  be  trimmed  close,  it  being  true  of  grapevines, 
as  of  our  youth,  "that  early  curbing  is  a  guaranty  of 
a  healthy,  mature  age."  Old  vines  should  be  dealt 
with  very  gently.   Then  they  may  give  little,  but  good, 


68  THE  vine-dressee's  manual. 

wholesome  wine.  Frosted  vines,  or  sucb.  as  have  been 
injured  bj  liail,  or  other  accidents,  must  be  trimmed 
back,  so  as  to  provide  for  "  new  growth"  in  every  in- 
jured part. 

The  preceding  cut,  Fig.  20,  represents  a  grapevine  as 
it  is  late  in  the  fall,  when  a  good  vintner  has  attended 
to  it  during  the  preceding  summer. 

The  reader  will  see,  that  the  vine  has  two  vineyard 
stakes,  say  about  two  feet  apart,  and  that  the  vine  has 
two  *'  Thighs,"  which  is  as  much  as  any  vine  should 
be  asked  to  keep  up.  At  the  end  of  the  "  Thighs  " 
are  the  "  Bows,"  which  were  the  "  chief  bearing  wood  " 
of  the  season  previous.  At  the  first  joint  above  the 
't  Thigh,"  Bearing  Wood  JSTo.  1  is  perceived.  This 
was  left,  by  the  good  vintner,  to  be  trimmed  down  to 
six  or  eight  joints,  or  buds,  and  to  form  from  it  the 
Bow,  or  Chief  Bearing  Wood,  for  the  ensuing  summer. 
The  reader  will  also  see  Bearing  Wood  ISTo.  2,  which 
grew  out  a  ''Spur,"  left  upon  each  thigh  the  spring 
previous. 

This  Bearing  Wood,  No.  2,  is  trimmed  down  to  two 
joints,  and  will  form  the  chief  spur  for  this  season. 
Out  of  this  spur  it  is  intended  to  trail  the  Bearing 
Wood  No.  1,  for  the  succeeding  year,  say  in  1855  for 
1856,  of  which  more  hereafter.  The  reader  will  also 
perceive  a  shoot  marked  "  Wood  for  Spur,"  which 
should  be  trimmed  down  to  one  joint,  or  bud,  so  as  to 


ON  TRIMMING  GENERALLY. 


69 


have  an  extra  spur  ready  if  accidentally  it  should  be 
needed,  for  renovating  the  vine  with  new  Bearing 
Wood.  The  reader  will  also  perceive  two  ''  Ground 
Shoots."    One  of  these  mu^t  be  cut  away,  while  one 


Fia.  21. 


of  them  had  better  be  trimmed  down  to  three  or  four 
joints,  so  as  to  have  it  ready,  in  case  either  one  of  the 
thighs  should  be  broken  off.      Such  a  ground  shoot 


70  THE   VINE-DRESSER  S   MANUAL. 

should  also  be  trained,  wherever  sound  judgment  prog- 
nosticates the  probable  future  unfitness  of  existing 
tliighs. 

The  chief  spurs  will  each  bear  a  few  grapes,  often 
tbe  best. 

"We  will  now  give  a  cut  as  the  vine  should  look  if 
trimmed  right,  believing  that  this  will  furnish  nearly 
as  correct  information  as  if  the  instruction  were  given 
before  the  vine  itself. 

Fig.  21  represents  a  grapevine,  over  six  years  old, 
having  a  stem  two  inches  or  more  thick,  and  healthy 
throughout ;  and  bearing  this  in  mind,  one  may  add 
to,  or  lighten  the  ''  Zoac?,"  as  good  sense  will  dictate. 
Few  vintners  succeed  in  having  all  their  vines  in  just 
such  perfection.  The  vines  Avill  vary  more  or  less ; 
but  the  cut  will  give  the  general  idea. 

If  the  reader  will  now  compare  the  trimmed  vine 
with  the  previous  cut,  he  will  easily  see  what  must  be 
cut  away :  namely,  the  old  bow,  and  all  other  super- 
fluous wood.  I  need  not  add,  that  every  vine  bears 
small  shoots,  not  marked  down  on  the  first  cut;  be- 
cause, to  put  them  there  would  have  perplexed  the 
reader.     All  such  must  be  trimmed  away. 

Should  the  grapevine  to  be  trimmed  be  a  neglected 
one,  and  it  is  intended  to  start  it  right  anew,  then  the 
above  cut  will,  with  the  explanations,  give  a  general 
idea  how  to  bring  this  about. 


HOW  TO  CULTIVATE  THE  SOIL.  71 

Never  put  a  "Spur"  above  the  "  Bearing  Wood," 
or  "  BoWj"  or,  as  the  European  vintners  have  it,  "Never 
put  the  apprentice  above  the  master,"  a  saying  in  which 
lies  the  whole  idea  of  so  trimming  as  to  have  the  proper 
number  of  apprentices  ready  below,  to  become  subse- 
quent masters.  The  thighs  should  never  be  shorter 
than  eight  or  ten  inches,  nor  longer  than  four  feet ;  nor 
should  the  bows  have  more  than  ten  to  twelve  buds, 
nor  the  spurs  more  than  two  or  three  buds.  No  vine 
should  have  more  than  three  thighs — ^two  is  enough ; 
nor  any  one  thigh  more  than  one  bow,  and  two  spurs, 
(one  will  generally  be  enough.)  Should  it  be  intended 
to  get  "  Layers/'  it  is  best  to  train  ground  shoots  for 
the  purpose. 


HOW  TO  CULTIVATE  THE  •  SOIL   OF  A  VINEYARD. 

Before  any  cultivation  of  the  ground,  the  vineyard 
should  be  cleared  of  all  offals  from  the  previous  trim- 
ming. These  offals  should  be  packed  down  in  those 
spots  in  the  vineyard  which  have  a  tendency  to  wash. 
They  may  be  used  for  these  purposes  in  other  locali- 
ties. In  Germany,  they  are  gathered  up  for  firewood, 
as  was  the  old  custom  in  Judea.  I  have  found  them 
most  excellent  in  smoking  hams  and  meat  generally, 
and  fancied  they  gave  to  meat  a  better  flavor. 


72  THE  vln-e-dresser's  manual. 

The  soil  of  a  vineyard  should  never  be  cultivated 
except  in  dry,  warm  weather.  The  drier  and  warmer, 
the  better.  This  should  especially  be  the  rule  in  the 
spring,  as  ground  broken  up  wet  subjects  the  plants 
near  to  injury  from  even  the  lightest  foot-prints.  The 
rule  for  breaking  ground,  in  the  spring,  is  simply 
this:  Cultivate  as  soon  as  the  ground  is  dry,  and 
warm  weather  sets  in ;  and  don't  cultivate,  no  matter 
how  late  you  have  to  wait,  until  fair  weather  does  set 
in,  and  the  ground  is  dry.  Bon't  be  in  too  great  a 
hurry,  but  improve  every  fair  opportunity.  If  you 
delay  too  long,  the  buds  will  swell,  and  then  they  are 
very  apt  to  fall  off  on  even  slight  shaking. 

Whether  hoes,  ploughs,  or  cultivators  are  proper 
tools,  must  be  determined  by  circumstances ;  and  they 
vnR  guide  every  person  having  any  idea  of  the  cultiva- 
tion of  soil  generally.  The  great  point  is  thorough- 
ness— ^that  is,  in  turning  'over  every  part  of  the  soil, 
and  the  most  careful  attention  towards  the  destruction 
of  all  weeds,  particularly  around  the  head  of  the  Vine. 
In  the  spring,  the  ground  should  be  broken  up  at  least 
six  inches  deep,  and  the  rougher  the  clods  are  left  the 
better,  so  that  they  are  fully  turned.  Eain  and  warmth 
will  thus  penetrate  deeper ;  the  ground  will  wash  less, 
and  the  clods  will  be  ready  to  fall  entirely  to  pieces 
when  the  second  cultivation  takes  place.  The  two- 
pronged  hoe,  {karsch,  in  German,)  is,  in  my  opinion,  the 


VINES   ON   TRELLISES.  73 

best  instrument  for  this  purpose.  A  good  sliovel- 
plough  may  work  for  the  second,  and  a  cultivator  for 
the  third  operation.  The  first  should  take  place  before 
the  middle  of  May,  or  latest,  the  first  of  June ;  the 
second,  as  soon  after  the  vines  are  through  blossoming, 
and  the  third  early  in  the  fall,  (but  not  in  the  dog-days 
says  an  old  vintner  at  my  elbow,)  a  traditionary  rule,  for 
which  it  may  be  hard  to  give  a  scientific  reason,  but 
which  I  found  true  to  my  sorrow,  in  two  instances  in 
which  I  acted  counter  to  the  rule.  In  each  case  my 
vineyard  lost  more  or  less  of  its  foliage,  and  all  of  its 
rich,  green  tint. 

There  are,  as  yet,  no  old  vineyards  in  the  United 
States ;  but  it  may  be  well  to  mention  that  old  vine- 
yards must  be  cultivated  with  greater  care  than  young 
ones ;  and  their  roots,  even  when  near  the  surface,  should 
not  be  needlessly  torn  up  and  injured. 

The  same  care  should  also  be  had  in  the  fall  cultiva- 
tion, so  as  to  disturb  as  little  as  possible  the  tender  sur- 
face-roots, which  grow  annually  out  of  the  head. 


VINES   ON   TRELLISES. 


In  the  preceding  pages,  the  mode  described  is  appli- 
cable particularly  for  vineyards  intended  for  thq 
manufacture  of  wine.    If  the  object  should  be,  how- 


74 

ever,  to  raise  grapes  merely  for  table  use — eitlier  for 
one's  family  or  for  market — a  different  mode,  in  some 
respects,  may  well  be  pursued,  and  instead  of  training 
the  vines  upon  stakes,  trellise  work  may  be  adopted. 

I  may  say  tbat  tlie  mode  of  staking  out,  indicated  as 
the  Palatinate  method,  Fig.  14,  may  form  the  general 
basis  for  trellises.  The  vines,  instead  of  being  four  feet 
apart,  should  then  be  from  eight  to  twelve,  and  the 
stakes  or  posts  at  least  eight  feet  long  above  ground. 

For  trellis  planting,  I  would  specially  recommend, 
never  to  plant  close  to  the  walls  of  houses  or  fences, 
since  such  close  planting  injures  the  building,  and  be- 
sides,, subjects  vines  to  all  kinds  of  insects  which  are 
apt  to  prey  upon  them.  It  impedes,  also,  the  proper 
cultivation  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  The  distance 
from  houses  and  walls  should  be  at  least  four  feet,  and 
the  trellises  formed  over  shaded  walks,  which  may  be 
made  in  almost  endless  varietj^.  Such  trellises  should 
be  on  the  south  side  of  houses,  &c.,  and  every  chance 
afforded  for  air  and  sun  to  operate  upon  every  part  of 
the  vine.  The  early  training  of  the  vines  is  similar  to 
the  mode  already  described,  except  that  they  should 
be  planted  not  less  than  eight  feet  apart.  licss  care  need 
betaken  for  the  formation  of  the  "head,"  near  the 
ground,  and  less  attention  need  be  paid  to  the  boughs, 
as  well  as  to  the  renovation  of  the  thighs.  Some  form 
the  head  three  to  five  feet  from  the  ground,  and  then 


VINES   ON  TRELLISES.  75 

train  two  horizontal  thighs  out  of  it,  upon  which 
they  trim  in  winter,  four  to  eight  spurs.  Others, 
again,  trini  for  full  bows — others  for  half  bows, 
with  more  or  less  spurs  in  all  cases.  The  general 
idea  is,  that  being  less  restrained  as  to  room,  par- 
ticularly along  walks  and  around  houses,  less  strict 
rules  are  followed  as  to  trimming,  it  being  varied  ac- 
cording to  circumstances.  Summer  trimming  is  almost 
invariably  entirely  dispensed  with,  unless,  indeed,  a 
regular  vineyard  is  planted  out  upon  this  principle. 
Beading  the  preceding  pages^will  indicate  the  general 
rules.  Instead  of  thighs,  branches,  &c.,  the  vine  will 
then .  be  divided  into  main  and  side  stems,  and 
branches  with  half  bows  and  often  even  without  any 
bows,  and  relying  for  bearing  wood  only  upon  spurs. 
Where  a  vine  is  intended  to  be  drawn  up  as  high  as 
the  roof  of  a  two-storied  house,  the  vine  had  better  be 
trained  upon  the  two-story  principle  also,  by  forming, 
if  I  may  say  so,  a  two-storied  main  stem. 

To  train  a  ^dne  some  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  straight 
up,  engenders  its  rapid  growth,  and  imparts  to  it  a 
heavy,  rich  foliage,  but  such  vines  are  seldom  good 
bearers. 

It  is  in  accordance  with  long  exjDerience — one  that 
has  never  failed — that  bending  the  bearing  wood  pro- 
motes its  bearing  qualities,  and  equally  useful  are  all 
checks  to  the  too  rapid  upward  flow  of  the  sap. 


76 

Should  snch.  trellised  vines  be  planted  in  too  fat 
garden  or  hot-bed  ground,  they  would  grow  very 
thriftily  in  their  earlier  years ;  and  if  this  rapid  growth 
tends  to  loading  them,  early  with  too  much  bearing 
wood,  such  vines  will  soon  become  sickly,  and  almost 
invariably  their  fruit  becomes  distasteful,  and  their 
foliage  assumes  a  disagreeable  color.  It  is  far  better 
to  have  less  rich  soil. 

There  is  a  tendency  in  the  United  States  towards 
trellis  planting  for  all  grapevines.  For  table  grapes 
this  is  all  right,  but  we^  need  never  expect  to  make 
good  wine  from  them.  Trellised  vines  bear  a  larger 
crop,  and  the  grapes  are  more  palatable  to  the  taste ; 
but  the  wine  made  from  them  is  insipid.  I  cannot, 
perhaps,  furnish  a  better  illustration  of  what  I  mean, 
than  by  reminding  the  reader  of  cider  made  out  of  na- 
tural fruit,  and  compared  -with  that  made  out  of  fine 
table  apples — the  latter  being  far  inferior. 

In  Europe,  they,  therefore,  plant  upon  trellises  near 
large  cities  certain  peculiar  varieties  of  special  table 
grapes,  which  bear  large  and  early  fruit.  The  "  Chas- 
selas,"  in  French,  or  the  G-erman  "  Gutedel,"  (good  and 
noble,)  are  preferred  for  this  purpose.  I  imported  of 
them  both  slips  and  roots  twice,  but  lost  them  each 
time  in  the  second  or  third  winter.  The  Burgundy, 
Muscatel,  and  Malvasier  grape  are  also  excellent  table 
grapes  for  trellises.    In  this  country  the  Isabella  ripens 


SUMMER  TRIMMING.  77 

very  unequally  in  vineyards  when  trained  on  stakes. 
It  does  better  on  trellises.  The  Catawba  will  also 
answer  when  trained  on  trellises  for  table  fruit. 


SUMMER   TRIMMING. 

This  labor  is  in  German  called  Zwicken,  which, 
being  literally  translated,  means  pinching  with  the 
forefinger  and  thumb.  It  is  also  sometimes  called 
Ausbrechen  (breaking  off),  because  the  main  object  of 
it  is,  to  break  off  or  remove  all  unnecessary  branches, 
so  that  the  retained  useful  branches  may  grow  more 
thriftily,  and  that  the  grapes  may  thereby  become  more 
perfect  and  ripe,  by  receiving  freely  the  effects  of  sun 
and  air.  Care  must  be  taken  that  the  growing  grape 
be  not  without  its  due  protection  from  leaves,  as  will 
presently  be  explained. 

This  labor  requires  much  practical  skill,  judgment, 
and  experience.  Errors  in  winter  trimming,  or  acci- 
dental losses,  may  now  be  remedied  by  an  expert  sum- 
mer trimmer,  by  promoting,  at  the  proper  places,  those 
shoots  which  the  vine  stands  in  need  of.  Errors  in 
summer  trimming  are  harder  to  remedy,  for  obvious 
reasons.  Whoever,  therefore,  attempts  trimming  in 
summer  should  fully  understand  winter  trimming,  for 


78 


THE  vine-dresser's  MANUAL. 


the  two  operations  are  intimately  connected.  In  sum- 
mer trimming,  tlie  vine-dresser  must  have  regard  for 
the  trim  which  is  to  follow  the  succeeding  winter. 

One  important  point  in  this  matter  is  to  know  where, 
that  is,  at  what  part  of  the  vine,  to  leave  the  shoots 

Fio.  22. 


untrimmed,  and  which  shoots  to  trim  awaj.  Some 
retain  simply  the  thriftiest  branches,  regardless  of  the 
place  they  grow  upon,  which  is  a  great  error.  If  the 
bows  are  properly  fastened  to  the  stakes,  the  shoots 


SUMMER  TRIMMING.  79 

not  to  be  trimmed  will  stand  immediately  upon  or  near 
the  stake.     See  Fig.  22. 

The  shoots,  of  which  one  or  two  are  intended  to  be 
retained  for  bearing  wood  and  other  purposes,  for  the 
seasons  following,  being  marked  1,  2,  and  3,  a  shoot 
will  also  generally  be  retained  upon  each  spur,  and  is 
marked  a.  Great  care  must  be  had  not  to  retain  for 
these  purposes  the  shoots  growing  out  of  the  buds 
marked  B ;  being  so  near  those  marked  INTo.  1  and  2, 
they  are  apt  to  be  mistaken  for  them.  How  many 
shoots  to  retain  cannot  be  stated  definitely — that  de- 
pends upon  the  relative  strength,  age,  and  vigor  of 
each  vine.  For  a  vigorous  vine  three  shoots  may  well 
be  left — that  is,  two  upon  each  of  the  bows  of  those 
marked  1,  2,  and  3,  and  one  upon  each  spur  as  marked 
a ;  and  also  trim  one,  whenever  this  can  be  done,  out 
of  the  "Head"  marked  C,  the  object  of  the  latter  being 
to  be  prepared  for  renovating  the  "thighs."  For  an 
old,  decrepit,  or  sickly  vine,  two  or  three  new  shoots 
would  be  enough.  A  good  vine-dresser  knows  that 
there  must  be  no  attempt  to  have  the  foliage  dispropor- 
tionate to  the  stem  and  roots  below  the  ground. 

Which  shoots  to  trim  may  be  gathered  from  the  pre- 
ceding remarks.  They  are  marked  5  and  upwards. 
Should  there  be  grapes  upon  any  of  them,  then  they 
should  be  so  pinched  off  as  to  leave  one  leaf  at  least,  if 
not  two,  beyond  the  outer  grape.    In  fact,  no  shoot 


80  THE  vine-dresser's  manual. 

sliould  be  entirely  broken  off — one  or  two  leaves  should 
always  be  retained. 

To  keep  the  vine  in  good  bearing  order,  it  is  abso- 
lutely necessary  so  to  trim  or  dress  the  vine  in  summer 
as  to  enable  the  winter  trimmer  to  renovate  constantlj^, 
and  to  replace  entirely  the  thighs  every  four  to  six 
years.  No  'Hhigh"  should  be  older  than  five  years. 
Then  it  should  be  replaced  by  an  entirely  new  one. 
Hence  the  lowest  shoots,  marked  1,  2,  and  3,  are  re- 
tained upon  the  bows,  and  hence,  too,  one  shoot  is  re- 
tained upon  each  of  the  spurs,  marked  a — these  being 
intended  for  gradual  renovation,  while  the  ground 
shoots,  marked  0,  are  intended  for  entirely  new 
"thighs,"  being  dressed  up  and  trained  for  that  pur- 
pose, as  directed  for  young  vines.  I  need  hardly  re- 
peat here,  what  I  have  said  already,  that  both  trimming 
too  high  or  too  low  are  both  extremes  to  be  avoided. 

More  shoots  are  dressed  up  and  retained  than  are 
needed  for  the  succeeding  winter  trimming,  and  that  is 
done  both  for  the  purpose  of  having  a  surplus  in  case 
of  accident,  and  also  to  give  the'  trimmer  a  choice,  so 
that  in  examining  the  stem  and  roots,  he  may,  when  his 
vine  is  unobstructed  by  foliage,  j  idge  more  clearly 
which  are  the  most  desirable  branches  for  each  respec- 
tive vine. 

Whe7i  this  labor  is  to  be  performed  cannot  be  indi- 
cated by  general  rule.      As  soon  as  the  shoots  are 


SUMMER  TRIMMING. 


81 


twelve  or  fourteen  inches  long,  it  is  time  to  trim  iliem, 
and  dress  and  fasten  them  up.  If  too  long  delayed,  a 
heavy  storm  might  break  off  a  good  many  of  them, 
and  thus  prove  a  sad  summer  trimmer.  Most  gene- 
rally, the  proper  time  is  in  the  latter  part  of  May,  or 
early  in  June. 


Fia.  28. 


FiQ.  24. 


A  vine  well  trimmed. 


A  vine  badly  trimmed. 


Let  me  rejDeat  here  the  well-known  fact,  that  the 
foliage  is  the  great  regulator  of  all  vegetation  in  sum- 
mer. A  good  vine-dresser  knows,  by  the  very  color 
of  the  leaf,  the  amount  of  foliage  required  by  the  vine. 
Some  difference  should  also  be  made  between  diy  and 
rainy  seasons.     Every  grape  should  have  some  leaf 


82 

over  it,  to  give  it  shade,  and  to  aid  it  during  the  ripen- 
ing process. 

Bj  comparing  Figs.  23  and  24,  the  reader  will  at 
once  perceive  that  in  the  latter,  the  vine  is  trimmed  so 
that  when  the  bow  is  unfastened,  the  shoot  which  is  to 
form  the  next  year's  bow  would  be  much  too  high  up 
on  the  stake. 


GATHERING  THE  GRAPES. 

Cheerfully  the  vintner  undertakes  this,  the  pleas- 
antest  of  all  his  labors.  Eemuneration  for  many  a  toil- 
some hour  now  smiles  at  him  from  out  his  favorite 
vines.  So  sweet  is  this  feeling,  that  few  vintners  can 
wait  for  the  proper  time.  Grapes,  if  intended  for  wine, 
should  be  gathered  as  late  as  is  possible,  and  it  matters 
not  if  thej  should  even  get  overripe. 

Many  vintners  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  grape, 
once  ripe — which  is  the  case  as  soon  as  the  stems  of  the 
grape  bunches  turn  brown — it  is  useless  to  permit  the 
grapes  to  encumber  the  vines  any  longer,  as  its  quality 
will  not  be  thereafter  much  improved.  But  experience 
demonstrates  that  while  the  quantity  is  slightly  dimin- 
ished, the  quality  is  much  improved.  In  this  country, 
where  there  are  never  *  more  than  two,  and  generally 
but  one  species  of  grape,  while  in  Europe  from  six  to 


GATHERING  THE   GHAPES.  83 

twenty  species  are  often  found  in  the  same  vineyard, 
one  reason  for  premature  gathering  is  obviated.  The 
grapes  generally  ripen  all  about  the  same  time.  Should, 
however — as  will  happen — one  species  of  grape  ripens 
before  the  other,  it  is  best  to  gather  the  ripe  fruit,  and 
then  gather  the  rest  subsequently  when  ripe. 

There  is  one  great  objection  among  our  vintners  to 
patient  waiting,  which  must  be  mentioned.  It  lies  in 
the  insecurity  of  their  fruit  against  poachers.  Fruit  is 
for  some  reason  regarded  as  common  property,  and  the 
same  person  who  would  not  take  beans,  cucumbers, 
corn,  or  carrots,  will  think  any  one  a  "  stingy  hugger'''' 
who  does  not  look  with  gratification  at  any  person 
taking  his  grapes  without  leave.  The  vintners  know 
the  prevalence  of  this  freebooting  sentiment  as  to  the 
fruit  which  has  cost  them  so  much  labor  and  money. 
They  will  watch  it  for  a  fortnight,  night  and  day,  but 
it  is  too  much  to  expect  them  to  lose  their  night's  rest 
much  longer,  merely  to  improve  the  quality  of  their 
wine  a  degree  or  two.  The  conclusion  is  too  tempting 
to-be  long  resisted,  to  put  their  grapes  "  where  neither 
moth  entereth,  nor  rust  corrupteth,  nor  thieves  break 
through  and  steal." 

This  is  a  serious  impediment  to  an  improvement  in 
the  quality  of  our  wines,  but  I  fear  it  will  exist  for 
some  time,  at  least  until  fruit,  especially  grapes,  become 
more  generally  cultivated,  and  then  a  "■  fellow  feeling" 


84  THE   VINE  JRESSETl'S   MANUAL. 

will  overcome  the  loose  morality  about  fruit  poaching. 
Laws  which  follow  u.p  this  growing  tendency,  would 
certainly  be  useful.  The  following  general  rules  arc 
recommended  in  gathering  grapes : 

1.  Gather  only  in  fair  weather,  and  after  the  dew  is 
off  the  grapes. 

2.  Should  rain  or  heavy  fogs  occur,  stop  gathering. 
It  is  always  bad  to  go  into  vineyards  while  the  ground 
is  too  wet,  and  especially  in  the  fall.  Aside  from  the 
injury  to  the  quality  of  the  wine,  it  can  be  proved, 
that  between  gathering  in  fair  or  foul  weather,  with 
and  without  the  dew  drops  upon  the  grapes,  there  is  a 
difference  of  between  five  to  ten  degrees  in  the  quality 
of  the  wine. 

3.  Care  should  be  had  not  to  injure  the  vines,  while 
searching  for  the  inside  grapes. 

4.  Unripe  grapes  should,  as  already  stated,  be  left 
in  the  vineyard  on  the  vines,  and  if  there  be  but  few, 
or  if  the  season  will  not  permit  their  subsequent  ripen- 
ing, it  is  a  good  practice  to  mix  them  with  some  good 
apples  in  cider  making,  but  not  to  put  them  with  the 
good  ripe  grapes. 

5.  .Should  a  few  unripe  berries  be  found  on  a  grape- 
bunch  they  must  be  picked  out  and  thrown  away, — or 
should  there  be  a  few  really  ripe  berries  upon  an  un- 
ripe bimch,  then  the  ripe  ones  are  picked  out  and  ga- 
thered, and  the  unripe  bunch  itself  is  left  on  the  vine. 


GATHERIiNTG  THE   GRAPES.  85 

6.  Every  tiling,  except  the  good^  sound,  ripe  berries, 
sliould  be  carefully  picked  out,  and  particularly  those 
dried  np  kernels — so  frequent  in  this  country — the 
result  of  the  blue  rot. 

7.  Leaves,  which  casually  drop  among  the  gathered 
grapes  should  be  thrown  out. 

It  is  easy  to  see  from  the  preceding  rules,  that  ga- 
thering grapes  requires  care  and  attention.  I  think 
buckets  and  tight  barrels  are  better  for  the  purpose  of 
holding  the  gathered  grapes,  than  baskets.  The  skins 
of  American  Grapes  are,  to  be  sure,  tougher  than  the 
European,  though  this  is  fortunately  getting  less  so 
every  year,  but  very  ripe  grapes  suffer  much  loss,  even 
here,  if  handled  in  baskets. 

I  would  here  warn  against  that  voracious  eating  of 
grapes,  while  gathering  them,  which  is  characteristic 
of  raw  hands.  Our  grapes  have  very  large  kernels 
and  very  tough  skins,  and  there  is  inside  also  a  rather 
indigestible  pulp.  All  these  things  are  different  in 
Europe.  There  the  kernels  are  small,  the  skin  very 
light,  and  the  inside  is  almost  without  pulp.  Persons 
in  this  country  read  of  the  Grape  Cure  in  Europe,  and 
from  this  conclude,  that  grapes  are  always  healthy. 
So  they  no  doubt  are,  if  eaten  in  small  quantities,  and 
when  perfectly  ripe ;  but  I  know  of  five  deaths,  within 
my  own  experience,  which  from  unmistakable  signs 
arose  from  eating  too  freely  of  grapes.     One  of  these 


86  THE  vine-dresser's  manual. 

five  was  a  most  lieartj  and  very  intelligent  young 
German,  wlio  laughed  at  all  warnings,  and  would  insist 
tliat  grapes  were  surely  healthy  at  all  times  of  the  day, 
and  in  any  amount 


MANURES. 

Whatever  experiments  may  have  been  made  with 
special  manures  for  vineyards,  the  best  w,  and  will 
continue  to  be,  the  compost  manure,  if  got  up  right. 
It  may  be  composed  of  various  kinds  of  material,  easily 
attainable. 

Common  stable  manure,  street  sweepings,  turnpike 
dirt,  sweepings  and  slops  of  houses  and  chambers,  saw- 
dust, shavings,  pomace,  leavings  from  tan  yards,  tailor, 
shoe  and  turning  shops,  distilleries,  ground  out  of 
woods,  marl,  leaves  from  the  vines,  and  weeds  of  all 
kinds,  woollen  rags,  especially;  all  these,  and  many 
other  things,  which  will  readily  suggest  themselves, 
should  be  procured,  as  opportunity  offers,  in  as  great 
a  variety  as  possible,  and  mixed  together  in  the  follow- 
ing manner :  A  hole  is  dug,  at  least  four  feet  deep 
and  six  feet  wide,  as  near  the  vineyard  as  possible,  and 
into  it  are  these  materials  thrown  promiscuously,  and 
as  they  are  thrown  in,  covered  and  mixed  half  and  half 


MANURES.  87 

witli  ground.  It  is  most  excellent  to  pour  over  it  fre- 
quently the  liquids  of  horse  and  cow  stables.  Let  it 
rot  for  a  year,  and  then  remove  it  into  the  vineyard, 
and  the  effects  of  such  compost  manure  are  far  supe- 
rior to  any  other. 

Woollen  rags  are  excellent,  applied  alone.  They 
rot  soon,  when  placed  around  the  stem  of  the  vine  and 
covered  "with  ground. 

Horn  shavings  and  filings  are  also  very  good,  so  are 
hair  and  all  kinds  of  leather.  I  prefer,  however,  to 
throw  every  one  of  these  last-named  materials  into  the 
compost  heaps,  mixing  and  rotting  them  with  the 
rest. 

No  vineyard  should  be  manured  oftener  than  once 
in  two  years ;  and  where  the  ground  is  rich,  it  should 
be  done  only  every  three  or  four  years.  During  the 
first  three  or  even  four  years,  no  manure  need  be 
applied,  except  preparatory  to  the  first  bearing- 
year,  and  then  sparingly  immediately  around  the 
vines. 

The  quantity  is  not  so  easy  to  determine,  but  fifteen 
to  twenty  good  two-horse  loads  of  compost  manure 
per  acre  would  not  be  too  much. 

Woollen  rags,  horn-shavings,  hair,  and  such  special 
strong  manures,  had  better  be,  applied  in  the  fall. 
Compost  manurr^  if  well  rotted,  may  be  applied  during 
fall  or  spring      I  have  ever   disapproved  manuring 


88 

during  summer,  as  it  disturbs  the  growth,  and  is  likely 
to  impart  a  peculiar  taste  to  the  wine. 

I  have  alwajs  found  it  best  to  spread  the  compost 
manure  all  over  the  vineyard,  well  covering  it,  how- 
ever, with  ground.  Special  manure  I  have  applied 
more  immediately  around  the  vines,  and  found  it  a 
good  practice. 

During  the  alternate  years  in  which  manure  is  not 
applied,  ground  should  be  hauled  to  each  vine,  taking 
the  ground  from  the  woods.  This  keeps  the  vine  itself, 
and  especially  its  head,  well  supplied  with  ground,  and 
prevents  its  being  exposed  too  far  above  the  surface. 


DISEASES  TO   WHICH  GRAPEVINES  ARE   SUBJECT. 

I  COULD  not,  consistently,  encumber  this  book  with 
a  chapter  on  "  Grape  sicknesses,"  because  I  am  satis- 
fied that  I  could  only  give  a  page  or  so  of  specula- 
tions, which  may  prove  right,  but  of  which  I  have  not 
had  a  fair  experience.  I  have  preferred  to  state  only 
methods  known  to  me  to  be  practical  and  correct.  If 
they  are  well  followed,  I  do  not  think  that  any  serious 
sickness  need  be  ever  apprehended.  The  grape  sick- 
nesses in  America  may  with  propriety  form  a  part  of 
such  a  book  as  the  one  now  presented,  when  we  shall 


WINE   MAKING.  89 

have  had  a  further  experience  of  ten  or  fifteen  years, 
and  after  we  shall  have  planted  really  good  vineyards. 
For  the  same  reason  I  dispense  with  several  other  pro- 
lific subjects,  which  usually  form  a  part  of  such  books. 


WINE  MAKING. 

MASHING    THE    GRAPES. 

Almost  every  vine- dresser  in  this  country  has  his 
own  mode  of  mashing  grapes,  as  has  almost  every 
neighborhood  in  Europe. 

I  wiU  endeavor  to  describe  some  of  the  more  simple 
methods,  and  they  may  serve  the  reader  as  an  indica- 
tion of  what  he  may  require,  each  case  being  modified 
by  the  kind  and  particularly  the  quantity  of  grapes 
to  be  mashed. 

For  a  few  bushels  of  grapes  I  know  of  no  more  sim- 
ple and  efficacious  method  than  to  prepare  a  wooden 
stamper  three  feet  and  a  half  long,  of  the  form  repre- 
sented in  Fig.  25,  being  at  the  larger  end  six  inches  in 
diameter  and  having  the  bottom  a  little  scooped  out 
or  concave.  Bore  holes  entirely  through  the  krge  end 
with  a  quarter-inch  auger  in  every  direction,  and  in- 


90 


THE  vine-dresser's   MANUAL. 


sert  roand  oak  or  hickory  pins,  so  as  to  have  them 
project  at  each  end  three  eighths  of  an  inch. 

Into  a  clean  sweet  cask  of  the  capacity  of  about  forty 
gallons,  put  about  two  bushels  of  grapes,  and  then  pass 
the  stamper  up  and  down  among  them  until  they  are 
completely  mashed.  The  small  wooden  pins  project- 
ing as  they  do,  are  a  great  aid  in  the  mashing  process. 


Fig.  26. 


As  soon  as  completely  mashed,  empty  the  mass  into 
a  box  upon  the  press. 

Another  mode  very  common  in  Europe,  is  treading 
the  grapes  with  the  feet.  The  grapes  are  placed  in  a 
small  tub  or  cask,  the  bottom  of  which  is  punctured 


WINE  MAKING.  91 

with  small  auger  holes.  This  tub  is  placed  upon  two 
sticks  put  across  a  larger  cask,  and  the  operator  treads 
the  grapes  with  his  feet. 

A  machine  of  very  simple  construction  having  two 
rollers,  between  which  the  grapes  are  passed,  may  be 
constructed  for  a  few  dollars,  and  will  answer  a  good 
purpose.     Fig.  26  "wiU  serve  for  an  illustration. 

Whenever  larger  quantities  are  to  be  mashed,  I 
would  advise  the  use  of  the  common  apple-mashers  with 
horse  power.  I  prefer  these  as  cheapest,  very  expedi- 
tious and  effective,  and  in  all  localities  easily  obtained. 

After  the  pomace  has  been  once  slightly  pressed, 
I  have  always  subjected  it  to  a  second  mashing,  and 
again  pressing  it.  The  rollers  or  mashers  should  not 
be  set  too  close,  as  the  stems  and  kernels  should  not  be 
crushed. 

In  Europe,  about  twenty  years  ago,  the  practice  of 
separating  the  "  berries"  from  the  "  combs"  before 
pressing,  was  much  in  vogue. 

The  comb  containing  tannin  and  apple  acids,  it  was 
deemed  desirable  to  keep  these  ingredients  out  of  the 
wine.  This  was  performed  by  rasps  of  various  con- 
struction, one  of  which  is  represented  in  Fig,  27, 
consisting  of  two  shallow  boxes  or  trays  ;  the  bottoms 
made  of  crossed  slats,  laid  as  represented  in  cut  a,  Fig. 
27,  and  not  laid  upon  the  flat  sides  of  the  square.  The 
upper  rasp  must  be  small  enough  to  admit  of  its  being 


92 


THE  VINE-DRESSEK's    MANUAL. 


rubbed  backward  and  forward  witbin  and  upon  the 
lower  one,  baving  tbe  grapes  between  tbem. 


"  '^         oMOtOBZOB!! 


ggmgiPDyuyi 


IBIHIHIBIBI 


The  interstices  should  be  of  the  proper  size  to  suffer 
the  crushed  berries  to  pass  through  and  retain  the  comb. 


WINE   MAKING.  93 

The  slats  may  be  tliree-fourtlis  of  an  inch  or  an 
inch  in  thickness. 

These  rasps  may  be  of  wood  of  any  size  from  two 
feet  to  six  feet  square  ;  made  somewhat  like  a  window- 
sash  with  a  r.-m  around  the  margin  six  inches  high. 

They  are  placed  over  a  tub  of  the  proper  size  when 
being  used. 

This  method  of  mashing  grapes  will  not  probably 
prevail  to  any  great  extent  in  the  United  States.  The 
harder  skin  of  our  grapes  and  their  peculiar  pulp  ren- 
der it  more  laborious,  and  it  is  the  oj^inion  of  many  of 
our  best  vintners  that  the  "tannin"  of  the  stem,  both 
improves  the  flavor  of  the  wine  and  furnishes  some 
preservative  qualities. 

Many  of  the  wine  manufacturers  of  Europe  allow 
the  mashed  grapes  to  ferment  in  stand  casks  before 
pressing,  and  for  grapes  thus  to  be  fermented  the  rasp- 
ing process  is  certainly  to  be  recommended. 

This  fermentation  will,  I  think,  not  be  adopted  gen- 
erally in  this  country,  owing  to  the  warmth  of  the 
season  at  the  time  of  vintage.  It  is  a  matter  upon 
which  it  is  well  to  experiment,  however,  and  the  result 
would  be  interesting  to  the  public. 

The  practice  most  be  recommended  is  to  mash  the 
berries  upon  the  stems  effectually,  and  any  method 
which  accomplishes  this,  without  too  much  bruising 
the  comb  or  crushing  the  kernel,  may  be  adopted.  The 


94 


THE  vine-dresser's  MANUAL. 


more  expeditiously  this  is  done,  and  the  sooner  the 
grapes  can  be  got  to  the  press  without  unnecessary  ex- 
posure to  the  atmosphere,  the  better. 


PRESSING. 


After  the  grapes  are  mashed,  they  should  be  trans- 
ferred as  expeditiously  as  possible  to  the  wine  press. 

Fig.  28. 


4_, 


w  I  /  n/L 


i\  I  /oi  I  ( 


D) 


7/ 


As  to  the  kind  of  press  and  other  appurtenances  of 
the  vineyard,  the  vintner  must  be  governed  by  the 
quantity  of  grapes,  the  extent  of  his  present  and  pro- 


PRESSING.  95 

spective  vineyards,  and  the  dimensions  of  his  purse. 
But  this  volume  being  intended  especially  for  begin- 
ners and  persons  having  limited  vineyards,  our  descrip- 
tion of  a  wine-press  will  be  of  the  simplest  kind,  adapt- 
ed to  the  masses  of  our  people,  few  of  whom  have  large 
vineyards. 

Fig.  28  represents  a  wine-press  of  very  simple 
construction,  which  may  be  made  larger  than  the 
dimensions  given  below  when  the  quantity  of  grapes 
demands  it. 

The  upright  posts  may  even  be  inserted  into  the 
ground  a  distance  of  four  feet  instead  of  into  the  pieces 
of  timber  as  represented.  They  are  10  by  12  inches 
and  10  feet  in  height.  The  top  cross  piece  is  8  by  10 
inches  and  8  feet  long,  the  ends  secured  to  the  upright 
posts  by  mortise  and  tenon.  The  two  lower  cross 
pieces  are  notched  into  the  posts  about  two  feet  from 
the  bottom,  and  are  secured  by  a  pin  or  bolt.  Upon 
these  lower  cross  pieces  is  placed  the  floor  of  the  press, 
which  is  some  four  feet  square,  and  is  composed  either 
of  a  solid  piece  of  wood  or  of  several  pieces  jointed 
together,  so  formed  as  to  make  a  bed  of  two  and  a 
half  inches  thick  with  a  rim  all  around  of  six  inches 
in  height.  The  floor  should  descend  in  every  direc- 
tion towards  the  hole  for  the  spout.  The  pieces  must 
be  driven  together  by  wedges  inserted  between  the 
floor  and  the  posts. 


96 


THE  VINE-DBESSER  S  MANUAL. 


Upon  this  "  press-floor"  is  placed  the  frame,  Fig.  29, 
made  of  two-inch  oak  boards — 3  feet  square  and  18  to  24 
inches  high,  fastened  together  by  mortise  and  tenon, 
yet  so  as  to  be  easily  taken  apart  and  perforated  by 
holes  one-eighth  of  an  inch  diameter,  about  an  inch 
apart,  also  having  notches  cut  on  the  lower  edge,  for 
the  passage  of  the  juice. 


Fig.  29. 


JnutzlitJtUi: 


4x .., 


^ 


Into  this  frame  are  poured  the  mashed  grapes.  After 
levelling  them  off,  a  covering  of  inch  boards  is  placed 
upon  them ;  this  cover  is  closely  fitted  to  the  frame,  and 
can  be  easily  put  in  and  taken  out,  and  upon  this  a 
cross  piece  of  oak  6  by  6  inches  for  the  screw  to  press 
upon.  The  screw  may  be  of  wood  or  iron,  and  is  turn- 
ed by  levers  inserted  in  the  head. 

The  sap  which  first  flows  from  the  press  makes  the 
best  wine,  and  that  which  is  last  expressed  is  somewhat 


PRESSING.  97 

inferior.  In  this  country  tlie  manufacture  of  wine  is 
so  much  in  its  infancy,  that  very  few  persons  attempt 
to  preserve  the  nice  distinctions  in  the  quality  of  wines 
which  prevail  in  Europe,  and  the  wine  is  generally 
thrown  promiscuously  into  the  cask. 

Cleanliness  and  despatch  in  mashing  and  pressing 
cannot  be  too  strongly  enjoined. 

The  young  wine  is  easily  spoiled  because  it  adopts 
acids  not  only  from  the  atmosphere,  but  also  from  any 
implement  or  utensil  which  may  be  sour  or  unclean. 

The  press  mashers  and  casks  should  therefore  be 
scrupulously  cleaned  before  using  them,  and  be  kept 
clean  during  the  entire  labor. 

Employ  none  but  expert,  neat,  and  cleanly  work- 
men. 

Do  not  let  your  grapes,  either  before  or  after  being 
mashed,  stand  about  for  days  in  tubs  or  barrels. 

Hire  hands  enough  to  gather  every  day  enough  to 
fill  your  press,  and,  if  possible,  mash  and  press  them 
the  same  evening,  and  transfer  the  juice  to  the  cellar, 
permitting  the  air  to  act  upon  it  as  little  as  possible 
during  these  operations. 

Do  not  defer  procuring  your  casks  to  the  last  mo- 
ment. Have  the  transfer  casks  you  fiU  with,  and 
also  your  cellar  casks,  nicely  clean  and  tight. 

They  should  be  as  large  as  the  quantity  of  wine  you 
expect  to  make  will  requke.     The  larger  the  quantity 


98  THE  vine-dresser's  manual. 

fermenting  in  one  body,  the  steadier  is  the  fermenta- 
tion and  the  better  the  wine. 

Large  casks  are  the  pride  of  a  good  vintner,  because 
they  are  a  guarantee  that  his  wine  will  have  a  chance 
to  ferment  well. 

In  Europe,  casks  of  10,000  gallons  are  frequent, 
and  less  than  500  gallons  are  seldom  used ;  and  such 
vintners  as  have  smaller  quantities  either  sell  their 
wine  from  the  press,  or,  clubbing  together,  get  their 
wine  into  large  casks. 

A  wine  house  with  a  cellar  underneath,  is  desirable 
in  every  vineyard  of  a  size  sufficient  to  justify  the  ex- 
pense. The  construction  is  simple,  and  requires  no 
explanation  in  this  volume. 


TREATMENT  OF  THE   WINE. 

The  young  wine  fresh  from  the  Press  is  filled  into 
the  casks  in  the  cellar.  These  casks  should  be  placed 
upon  scantling  or  scaffolding,  and  not  upon  the  ground 
in  the  cellar. 

They  should  be  filled  only  three-fourths  full. 

The  wine  will  soon  commence  fermentation,  gen- 
erally within  the  next  twenty-four  hours.  The  mass 
bubbles,  as  cider  does,  during  fermentation,  and  if  the 


TREATMENT  OF  THE   WINE, 


99 


casks  were  entirely  filled,  mucli  of  it  would  run  over. 
It  rejects  carbonic  p.cid,  and  also  many  of  the  finer 
aromatic  essences  escape. 

Many  devices  have  been  tried  to  retain  these  latter. 
The^  process  adopted  in  the  making  of  Champagne  is 
for  the  purpose  of  securing  this  great  desideratum,  and 
thus  the  greater  part  of  the  carbonic  acid  and  these 
finer  essences  are  retained. 

Fio.  80. 


The  manufacture  of  Cham;pagne,,  however,  requires 
an  amount  of  outlay  for  casks,  cellars  of  extraordinary 
depth,  bottles,  &c.,  which  places  it  beyond  the  reach  of 
the  ordinary  vintner  of  small  means ;  and  as  this  will 
also  place  it  beyond  the  scope  of  this  work,  we  must 
refer  the  reader  to  those  works  which  treat  upon  the 
subject,  especially  if  they  would  pursue  their  investi- 
gations further  in  this  direction. 

The  securing  the  finer  essences  of  the  wine,  may  be 


100  THE  vine-dresser's   MANUAL. 

attained  sufficiently  for  our  purpose  bj  a  very  simple 
contrivance,  shown  in  Fig.  80. 

A  tube  of  block  tin  is  inserted  into  the  bung  of  the 
cask  an  inch  or  more,  with  the  shorter  arm  immersed 
in  a  crock  of  water.  As  soon  as  the  fermentation  ^hall 
have  fairly  commenced,  the  carbonic  acid  will  escape 
through  the  water. 

As  the  fermentation  and  its  consequent  pressure 
subsides,  much  of  the  carbonic  acid,  and  many  of  the 
aromas,  so  essential  to  fine-flavored  wine,  are  retained. 

A  great  advantage  is  also  gained  thereby  in  rendering 
it  less  necessary  to  keep  watch  over  the  fermentation, 
and  to  close  the  casks  as  soon  as  the  fermentation  shall 
have  ceased;  the  external  atmosphere  being  at  all 
times  excluded,  the  oxygen  of  the  air  cannot  penetrate 
to  the  fermenting  mass. 

When  this  plan  is  not  adopted,  be  careful  not  to 
fasten  the  bung  during  fermentation. 

This  would  cause  the  cask  to  burst. 

As  soon  as  the  fermentation  is  over,  drive  in  the 
bung  tightly. 

After  the  more  violent  fermentation  is  passed,  fill 
the  casks  brimfull,  and  for  four  weeks  refill  at  least 
once  a  week,  and  afterwards,  till  late  in  the  spring,  re- 
fill once  a  month. 

In  Europe,  where  wine  is  a  chief  element  in  the 
food  of  families,  one  cask  is  kept  for  daily  use,  and 


TREATMENT   OF  THE   WINE.  101 

from  this  tlie  otlier  caslcs  are  replenislied.  In  any  cask 
tliat  cannot  be  kept  fall,  the  vacant  space  should  be 
burned  out  with  brimstone,  as  hereafter  described,  at 
least  once  a  month.  The  object  of  this  being  to  keep 
it  perfectly  sweet. 

Empty  wine  casks  should  be  thus  "  burnt  out"  once 
each  quarter  of  a  year,  and  especially  just  before  fill- 
ing or  immediately  after  emptying  them.  Before 
burning,  the  casks  should  be  thoroughly  washed  out 
with  hot  and  cold  water.  The  brimstone  -will  not 
burn  unless  the  casks  are  nearly  clean. 

One  can  also  detect  by  this  means  whether  the  casks 
are  perfectly  tight,  as  the  smoke  will  be  sure  to  escape 
tl/  rough  any  crevices,  if  such  exist. 

The  brimstone  is  prepared  as  follows : 

Put  common  brimstone  in  a  pot  over  a  slow  fire. 
Be  careful  not  to  melt  too  rapidly,  as  this  may  cause  it 
to  ignite.  When  melted,  draw  through  it  strips  of 
stout  paper,  an  inch  wide  and  a  foot  long,  and  hold 
them  in  the  air  a  few  minutes  till  the  brimstone 
hardens. 

To  burn  out  a  cask,  take  out  the  bung,  and  after 
setting  fire  to  one  of  these  strips,  quickly  insert  it  into 
the  cask,  and  drive  the  bung  home  upon  it,  so  as  to 
hold  it  suspended  while  it  burns. 

Some  wine-makers,  after  burning  with  brimstone, 
again  burn  the  cask  out  with  a  small  sponge  dipped  in 


102  THE  vine-dresser's  manual. 

the  best  brandy,  fastened  to  a  wire,  and  inserted  into 
the  cask  as  witb  the  brimstone  slip. 

The  fermented  wine  is  left  in  the  cask  upon  the  lees 
undisturbed  until  spring,  say  March  or  April.  Then 
it  should  be  draAvn  off. 

About  the  time  that  the  grapevine  is  in  bloom,  the 
wine  undergoes  another  fermentation  in  the  cellar, 
again  forming  small  lees. 

Wine  becomes  generally  clear  a  few  weeks  after  it 
is  put  into  the  casks  in  the  fall,  and  some  persons  then 
draw  it  off.  This  gives  the  wine  a  milder  taste,  but 
at  the  expense  of  strength.  Our  wines  being  naturally 
strong,  this  may  be  done  here  without  material  injury. 

A  vintner  should  take  the  earliest  opportunity  to 
have  a  good,  well- paved,  deep  cellar,  dry  and  well 
walled  with  stone.  It  should  be  not  less  than  eight 
feet  deep.  In  Europe  their  cellars  are  seldom  less  than 
twelve  to  twenty  feet  deep,  and  are  almost  invariably 
arched  over. 

Thus  their  wines  are  preserved  from  the  extreme 
cold  of  winter  and  heat  of  summer.  Cellars  should  be 
kept  dark,  except  while  working  in  them.  Yegetables, 
and  substances  which  are  apt  to  create  an  offensive 
smeU,  should  not  be  kept  in  the  same  cellar  with  wine. 
And  the  cellar  should  always  be  kept  scrupulously  clean. 

As  soon  as  the  wine  is  perfectly  clear  in  the  spring, 
I  would  recommend  the  bottling  off  for  family  use  (a 


TREATMENT   OF   THE   WINE.  103 

half  gross  or  so),  and  laying  tlie  bottles  in  sand. 
Those  who  will  try  this  plan  will  find  that  after  lying 
thus  for  some  six  weeks,  their  wine  will  be  vastly 
improved. 

In  the  directions  here  given  for  the  making  of  wine, 
I  have  confined  myself  to  the  simple  treatment  of  such 
matters  as  e\  ery  vintner  must  knoAv.  A  much  more 
elaborate  work  might  have  been  written,  but  the 
"  Vine- Dresser's  ManuaV  is  intended  for  the  general 
cultivator,  and  not  for  the  extensive  wine  manufac- 
turer. 

A  good  cultivator  will  find  in  this  all  that  is  neces- 
sary to  enable  him  to  make  good  wine,  or  better  said, 
to  suffer  the  wine  to  make  itself. 

In  conclusion,  I  hope  I  shall  be  pardoned  for  saying 
that  natural,  unadulterated  wine  is  entirely  healthful, 
and  may  with  great  advantage  form  a  part  of  the  food 
of  our  people,  and  for  all  classes  be  made  a  wholesome 
addition  to  the  principal  meal  of  the  day  at  least. 

All  artificial  wines  are  injurious,  and  none  more  so 
than  those  "  unfermented  wines,"  as  they  are  called, 
•with  which  over-scrupulous  persons  are  humbugged. 
All  such  are  unnatural,  and  contain  foreign  substance, 
more  or  less  unwholesome.  Would  that  good,  sound 
sense  were  more  prevalent  on  this  subject. 

May  God  bless  the  vintner's  skill  and  toil  1 


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Downing's  (A.  J.)  Rural  Essays. 

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Norton's  (John  P.)  Elements  of  Scientific  Agriculture; 

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Nash's  (J.  A.)  Progressive  Farmer. 

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60#  book  weight  paper 

which  meets  the  requirements  of 

ANSI/NISO  Z39.48-1992  (permanence  of  paper) 


Preservation  facsimile  printing  and  binding 

by 

Acme  Bookbinding 

Charlestown,  Massachusetts 


2005 


